Great effort is being made in multiple laboratories to elaborate noninvasive procedures aimed at optimising neural plasticity in the brain. In addition to their theoretical relevance, these studies may pave the way for novel paradigms for rehabilitation and recovery from nervous system injury, without the risks of dangerous side effects in many cases associated with traditional pharmacological approaches. Recent evidence has shed new light on this field, indicating the possibility to manipulate the environment in order to elicit remarkable brain plasticity processes not only in the juvenile brain, but even in the mature central nervous system, which is now recognised not to be“hard-wired” with immutable neuronal circuits.

We invite investigators to contribute original research as well as review articles on this field. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Critical period regulation
• Massage therapy in infants
• Enriched environment effects on brain plasticity and recovery
• Impact of physical exercise on brain health and disease
• Cognitive rehabilitation in the elderly

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/np/brain/ according to the following timetable: