Developmental Origins of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders arise from complex interactions between genetic risk, early environmental exposures, and developmental programs that shape the architecture and function of brain circuits. Human genetic studies, animal models, and patient-derived systems increasingly converge on disruptions of neurodevelopmental processes as key contributors to the altered neuronal subtype specification, synapse formation, and inhibitory-excitatory (E/I) balance observed in depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.In this issue, we encourage submissions that provide mechanistic insight to brain circuit-level mechanisms relevant to the symptoms of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Clearer understanding of these mechanisms may point towards accessible paths for targeted intervention.Topics of interest include but are not limited to:• Gene-regulatory networks and chromatin and epigenetic states guiding neuronal subtype specification and circuit assembly• Transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms including splicing, RNA-binding proteins, and miRNAs controlling neuronal maturation and synaptic function• Activity-dependent signalling and developmental plasticity mechanisms that calibrate excitation/inhibition balance in the brain• Inhibitory interneuron development, inhibitory synapse formation, and stabilisation of inhibitory microcircuits• Stress neurobiology and neuroendocrine influences on neurodevelopmental programs, including HPA axis, glucocorticoid, and CRF signalling• Homeostatic mechanisms and circuit refinement across sensitive windows and critical periods relevant to mood phenotypes• Contribution of glial cells to developmental circuit maturation and excitation/inhibition balance• Human genetics and genomics approaches including GWAS, rare variant analysis, and polygenic risk studies focused on the developmental mechanisms in mood disorders•Patient-derived cellular models such as iPSC-derived neurons and organoids to study developmental perturbations relevant to mood disorders• Genetic and environmental perturbations that converge mood-disorder-relevant circuits and affect behaviour• Multimodal approaches linking molecular profiling including single-cell and spatial methods to functional readouts such as electrophysiology, imaging, circuit mapping, and behaviour• Computational and theoretical approaches to understanding circuit development and E/I balance in the context of mood disorder vulnerability Topic editors: Kaia Achim, Alberto Camacho-Morales Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78412/developmental-origins-of-mood-disorders