Gene-Environment Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
1University of Bordeaux, Talence, France
2Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse Cedex, France
3Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
Gene-Environment Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Description
Several lines of evidence have demonstrated the importance of gene-environment interactions in the etiopathology of most disorders of the nervous system. This issue is of crucial relevance for developmental pathologies, because of the stronger plasticity of the developing brain and its critical responsiveness to environmental changes. Indeed, a large body of human and animal data has demonstrated that environmental stimulation/deprivation can, respectively, ameliorate or exacerbate the symptoms of a variety of developmental diseases. Furthermore, increasing attention has been recently paid to the interactive contribution of genetic and environmental risk factors to the etiopathology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
We invite investigators to contribute original research as well as review articles on the impact of gene-environment interactions in animal models of all major developmental disorders. These will include autism spectrum disorders, Fragile X, Rett, Tourette, and Down syndromes, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. Human studies on the combined effects of genetic and environmental factors will also be included, trying to parallel as far as possible the animal research selected for the issue. All genetic and environmental factors relevant to developmental pathologies will be considered, including, for example, nutritional manipulations, stress, immunological changes, environmental enrichment, physical exercise, and social and maternal deprivation.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Environmental insults as risk factors in genetically induced developmental pathologies
- Environmental therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders
- Factors critically affecting the role of gene-environment interactions: timing of the exposure, subjects ‘characteristics, and specific nature of the manipulations