Morphological Plasticity and Vulnerability in the Aging Nervous System

The aging nervous system sits at the intersection of two opposing forces: a remarkable capacity for structural and functional plasticity, and a progressive vulnerability to cellular, circuit-level, and systems-level decline. Decades of work have shown that aging is not a uniform process of loss. Neurons remodel their dendritic architecture, synaptic populations are reorganized, neurochemical systems reshape their projections, and entire circuits adapt to compensate for the loss of others. At the same time, specific neuronal populations show heightened susceptibility to atrophy, neurochemical dysregulation, protein aggregation, and the slow erosion of network integrity that underlies cognitive, sensory, motor, and circadian decline. Understanding how plasticity and vulnerability coexist, and what tips the balance toward resilience or pathology, is one of the central challenges of contemporary neuroanatomy.This Research Topic invites contributions that examine the morphological, quantitative, and neurochemical signatures of the aging nervous system across species, regions, and timescales. We welcome studies that use stereological, immunohistochemical, tract-tracing, imaging, and emerging quantitative neuroanatomy techniques to characterize how neurons, glia, vascular structures, and circuits change with age. Comparative approaches, lifespan studies, and translational work bridging animal models with human neuroanatomy are particularly encouraged.We invite original research, reviews, methods papers, and perspectives on themes including, but not limited to:• Age-related changes in neuronal morphology, dendritic complexity, and synaptic organization• Quantitative neuroanatomy of cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, orexinergic, and other neurochemical systems across the lifespan• Calcium-binding protein expression, neuroinflammation, and markers of cellular vulnerability in aging• Morphological and neurochemical changes in brain regions underlying cognitive, sensory, motor, and circadian function across the lifespan• Comparative neuroanatomy of aging across mammalian species, including evolutionary perspectives on brain longevity• Structural plasticity, adult neurogenesis, and compensatory remodeling in the aged brain• Neuroanatomical hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other age-related neurodegenerative conditions• Methodological advances in stereology, imaging, and quantitative analysis applied to the aging nervous systemBy bringing together morphological, neurochemical, and comparative perspectives, this collection aims to advance a more integrated understanding of how the nervous system ages, where it remains plastic, and where it becomes vulnerable. Topic editors: Rovena Clara Engelberth, Adhil Bhagwandin Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82151/morphological-plasticity-and-vulnerability-in-the-aging-nervous-system