In vivo, olfactory sensory neurons are replaced and regenerated throughout life by stem cells. These cells are available in biopsies from the nasal mucosa and have been suggested for use in developing cellular models for brain disorders involving neurodevelopment and beyond. Disease-associated phenotypes have been reported in cultures of cells derived from olfactory tissues for 30 years, initially in Alzheimer's disease, then for people with schizophrenia.
Most neurological and psychiatric disorders are lacking in a biological explanation of etiology which complicates the development of better diagnosis and treatments. Increasingly, researchers are turning to patient-derived cells as models for neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and neural progenitors or neurons generated from them. iPSCs are useful but different iPSC lines show substantial differences even when developed from the same individual. The procedures to produce them are lengthy and expensive, reducing their applicability to a large number of patients and controls. Cells derived from olfactory neuroepithelium is another useful model that is being applied to many different brain disorders. They are cheaper to produce and relatively easy to generate from a large number of individuals. At least some of such cellular models demonstrate a low level of variations between cell lines suggesting this approach can result in statistically significant findings in transcriptome-wide studies.
This Research Topic will present studies of olfactory neuroepithelium in vivo, cultures of olfactory tissues, techniques for culture-specific cell types from these tissues, including stem cells, and the application of these cellular models to various neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., bipolar disease, autism), neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease), monogenic diseases (e.g., ataxia telangiectasia, hereditary spastic paraplegia) and diseases of complex genetics (e.g., schizophrenia).and their potential for a new understanding of the etiology of these disorders and new targets for therapies.
This Research Topic welcomes submissions on the applications of new technologies, such as single-cell RNAseq, and its application to olfactory cell models of brain diseases. We also would like to welcome articles addressing technical issues such as methods to collect biological samples and cell culture development, including methods for differentiation of stem cells derived from the nasal mucosa. We welcome a range of manuscripts including short communications, opinions, original research, and reviews.
In vivo, olfactory sensory neurons are replaced and regenerated throughout life by stem cells. These cells are available in biopsies from the nasal mucosa and have been suggested for use in developing cellular models for brain disorders involving neurodevelopment and beyond. Disease-associated phenotypes have been reported in cultures of cells derived from olfactory tissues for 30 years, initially in Alzheimer's disease, then for people with schizophrenia.
Most neurological and psychiatric disorders are lacking in a biological explanation of etiology which complicates the development of better diagnosis and treatments. Increasingly, researchers are turning to patient-derived cells as models for neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and neural progenitors or neurons generated from them. iPSCs are useful but different iPSC lines show substantial differences even when developed from the same individual. The procedures to produce them are lengthy and expensive, reducing their applicability to a large number of patients and controls. Cells derived from olfactory neuroepithelium is another useful model that is being applied to many different brain disorders. They are cheaper to produce and relatively easy to generate from a large number of individuals. At least some of such cellular models demonstrate a low level of variations between cell lines suggesting this approach can result in statistically significant findings in transcriptome-wide studies.
This Research Topic will present studies of olfactory neuroepithelium in vivo, cultures of olfactory tissues, techniques for culture-specific cell types from these tissues, including stem cells, and the application of these cellular models to various neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., bipolar disease, autism), neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease), monogenic diseases (e.g., ataxia telangiectasia, hereditary spastic paraplegia) and diseases of complex genetics (e.g., schizophrenia).and their potential for a new understanding of the etiology of these disorders and new targets for therapies.
This Research Topic welcomes submissions on the applications of new technologies, such as single-cell RNAseq, and its application to olfactory cell models of brain diseases. We also would like to welcome articles addressing technical issues such as methods to collect biological samples and cell culture development, including methods for differentiation of stem cells derived from the nasal mucosa. We welcome a range of manuscripts including short communications, opinions, original research, and reviews.
