From Development to Repair: Mechanisms Bridging Neural Formation and Regeneration

This Research Topic is developed in conjunction with the Neurogenesis and Repair 2026 Conference (July 13–16, 2026, Toronto, Canada).Advances in developmental neuroscience have fundamentally reshaped thinking about neural repair. Mechanisms that govern neuronal fate specification, brain patterning, lineage diversification, and circuit assembly during development are now recognized as central to emerging regenerative strategies, including in vivo reprogramming, cell transplantation, and targeted gene therapies. Recent work in chromatin remodeling, post‑transcriptional regulation, metabolic control, and lineage tracing has revealed that neuronal identity is dynamic and context‑dependent across the lifespan. In parallel, technological innovations, such as brain organoids, single‑cell and spatial omics, and high‑resolution live imaging, now enable unprecedented resolution of developmental processes and their reactivation in disease and injury. Despite these conceptual and methodological advances, developmental and regenerative neuroscience largely progress in parallel, limiting the translation of fundamental discovery into effective neural repair strategies.This Research Topic aims to bridge developmental and regenerative neuroscience by fostering cross‑disciplinary integration around shared mechanisms, principles, and technologies. A central challenge in neural repair is the incomplete understanding of how developmental programs governing competence, plasticity, and lineage specification can be safely and effectively redeployed in the mature or diseased nervous system. Regenerative efforts often operate independently of insights from developmental timing, circuit assembly, and activity‑dependent refinement, slowing therapeutic progress. Conversely, developmental studies frequently lack a translational framework connecting basic principles to repair strategies. This Topic seeks to address these gaps by highlighting convergent molecular, cellular, and systems‑level mechanisms across development and repair. By uniting perspectives spanning embryogenesis, postnatal maturation, adulthood, and aging, the collection aims to identify actionable pathways, regulatory logic, and experimental paradigms that accelerate translation. Through integrative reviews and primary research, contributors will define common ground, challenge siloed thinking, and catalyze collaborative approaches that advance regenerative neuroscience toward clinical impact.This Research Topic welcomes review and primary research articles that span fundamental mechanisms and translational applications at the intersection of neural development and repair. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:- epigenetic and post‑transcriptional regulation of neural competence- lineage tracing and temporal control of fate specification- cortical and spinal patterning- activity‑dependent plasticity during development and disease- metabolic and signaling pathways influencing neurogenesis and reprogramming- glial‑to‑neuron conversion- organoid and in vivo models of development and regeneration- RNA‑based therapeutics; neural repair in sensory systems- mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and structural brain disorders- cell‑based or reprogramming strategies for epilepsy and neurodegenerative disease. Contributions addressing aging, sex‑specific developmental trajectories, circuit integration, and global or equitable perspectives in regenerative neuroscience are particularly encouraged. Together, these works will define a unified framework linking developmental logic to neural repair. Topic editors: Carol Schuurmans, Bhavana Muralidharan, Deborah Kurrasch, Shen-Ju Chou, Sergi Simó Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80938/from-development-to-repair-mechanisms-bridging-neural-formation-and-regeneration