Pathogens in the Brain: Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroinvasion, Persistence and Post-Viral Neurological Disease

Recent decades have made it impossible to ignore the impact of pathogens on the central nervous system. From flavivirus epidemics such as Zika and West Nile, to herpesviruses long suspected of contributing to dementia, to the neurological complications now widely reported following SARS-CoV-2 and HIV infection, the brain is increasingly recognised as both a target and a long-term reservoir for infectious agents. Yet the molecular events that connect pathogen entry, persistence and immune response with sustained neuronal dysfunction remain only partly understood.This Research Topic invites work that addresses the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying CNS infection and its short and long term consequences, with particular interest in studies that bridge acute infection with chronic neurological outcomes.Submissions may explore, but are not limited to:• Molecular mechanisms of viral and bacterial neuroinvasion, including blood brain barrier disruption• Host pathogen interactions in neurons, microglia, astrocytes and brain endothelial cells• Neuroimmune signalling during acute and persistent infection• Post-viral neurological sequelae, including long COVID, post-encephalitic syndromes and HIV associated neurocognitive disorders• Mechanistic links between infection and neurodegeneration, including protein aggregation, autophagy dysregulation and synaptic injury• Translational studies using iPSC derived models, brain organoids, in vivo systems and clinical samplesWe welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods and Perspective articles, as well as FAIR² Data Articles for teams who wish to publish curated, machine-actionable datasets alongside their findings. Contributions that connect classical neurovirology with the wider neurodegeneration and neuroimmunology communities are especially encouraged. Topic editors: Reshma Bhagat, Ifeoluwa Oluleke AWOGBINDIN Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82499/pathogens-in-the-brain-molecular-mechanisms-of-neuroinvasion-persistence-and-post-viral-neurological-disease