Cerebral and Spinal Vascular Malformations: From Bench to Bedside

Cerebral and spinal vascular malformations are a spectrum of diseases in the central nervous system (CNS), including arteriovenous malformation (AVM), cavernous malformation (CM), and developmental venous anomaly (DVA), which are characterized by abnormal vascular structures with angiogenic and inflammatory dysfunction. Our current mechanistic understanding of vascular malformations is mainly based on sporadic human disease samples and animal models with inherited gene dysfunction. Surgical management consisting of open surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and endovascular surgery is still the primary treatment modality for these diseases. Recent advances fuel our research and management targets. The second-hit hypothesis of vascular malformation development is evolutionary from gene mutations to subsequent cellular interplay and specific cellular or molecular signature. The anatomical and hemodynamic knowledge is advancing the excellence of surgical management. More eloquent lesions are being treated with no neurological deficit. This Research Topic is to highlight research by leading scientists of the future across the entire breadth of vascular malformations to present the state-of-the-art understanding, methodology, and technique from bench to bedside.

This Research Topic aims to review the history, discuss the current understanding and treatment modalities, and provide future directions for vascular malformations in the central nervous system. Recent genomic and transcriptomic advances at single-cell and bulk levels identify novel somatic mutations in sporadic vascular malformations and unravel new cell types and specific cross-talk between cell components. Additionally, the correlation between these new findings and classical disease models further convinces our knowledge of the development of vascular malformations. These molecular and cellular findings are promoting novel research models and therapeutic targets for vascular malformations to a new era. The treatment strategy and risk assessment system of both surgical and natural history will embrace an innovation of integrative molecular and radiomics classification for vascular malformations in the future. More collaborations between neurosurgeons (who obtain varied tissue samples for research and know the question of clinical importance), neurologists(who would be the future with therapeutic treatment), bioinformaticians (who can mine the high thorough-put data), radiologists(who find new imaging technique to define molecular and clinical features) and molecular biologist (who consolidate all the understandings of underlining mechanism), will contribute to more translational research to conquer the CNS vascular malformations.

The scope of this Research Topic is to explore the management and mechanism of CNS vascular malformation and relevant diseases for the improvement of patient care. We are interested in manuscripts that describe pathophysiology, etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, surgical or medical therapies, and prognosis. Areas of interest for this Topic include but are not limited to:
-The biology of arteriovenous malformation, cavernous malformation, telangiectasia, and venous anomaly
-The natural history and epidemiology of CNS vascular malformations
-The diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for CNS vascular malformations
-The imaging features and techniques for CNS vascular malformations
-The treatment modality and outcome for CNS vascular malformations
-The novel technique with an application to CNS vascular malformations
-The neuroplasticity and brain function in CNS vascular malformations
-The interplay or cross-talk among neuron-glia, vascular and immune cells in CNS vascular malformations
We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Systematic Reviews or Meta-analyses, and Case Reports.