Neurotrophic Factors and Plasticity of Brain Networks: Implications for CNS Function and Development of Neuronal Disorders

Call for Papers

For many years, a major focus of research in the neurosciences has been to understand how intrinsic or sensory-driven synaptic activities sculpt neuronal networks during development and under pathological conditions. Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) have emerged as major candidates for linking synaptic activity and neuronal network plasticity. NTFs are proteins synthesized and secreted from defined population of neurons, which affect neighbouring and remote cells. Secreted NTFs exert bidirectional actions on all key steps of neuronal development and participate in synaptic plasticity through both functional and structural modifications.

Because perturbations of these early events can lead to long-life cognitive deficits and neurological disorders, understanding how NTFs modulate the development and function of neuronal networks provides key insights into disease states and their potential treatments. Original research articles are welcome for this special issue, as well as reviews that bring a better and more synthetic understanding of actions of NTFs from the molecular to the behavioral levels. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Expression, secretion, processing, and signaling of NTFs
• Production and actions of NTFs on glial cells
• Actions of NTFs on ion channel, transmitter release, and neuronal activity
• Roles of NTFs in synapse formation and network development
• Roles of NTFs in synaptic short- and long-term plasticity, learning, and memory
• Roles of NTFs in brain disorders and their potential therapeutic applications

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/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Jean-Luc Gaiarsa, INMED/INSERM U901, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Avenue de Luminy, BP 13, 13273 Marseille Cedex 09, France

Guest Editors

• Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
• Ana Maria Ferreira de Sousa Sebastião, Faculty of Medicine and Unit of Neurosciences, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
• Claudio Rivera, INSERM/INMED U901, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France