Human aging significantly contributes to cognitive decline and increased susceptibility to late-life neurodegenerative diseases (e.g.Alzheimer’ s disease, Parkinson’ s disease). This decline involves the intricate interplay of multi-omic factors, including metabolism, genetic and epigenetic regulation, and especially for the microenvironment around neural stem cells (NSCs).

This Research Topic will focus on the aging of stem cell niches in the brain and their role in neurogenesis and neurodegeneration.

Recent research reveals that stem cell niches sustains neurogenesis and gliogenesis throughout adulthood but results in decreased neuronal generation with age. Aging diminishes the regenerative potential of these niches, potentially due to chromatin accessibility changes affecting crucial genes for NSC function. Chronic brain inflammation accompanies aging, affecting NSC functionality similarly to the endogenous niche. The stem cell niche comprises complex components facilitating NSC regulation and function, including the extracellular matrix (ECM) and signaling molecules. In addition, dysfunction in white matter and in the neural vascular unit (NVU), comprising various brain cells and the blood-brain barrier (BBB), underlies neurological diseases. Human brain-on-a-chip and organoids may provide valuable insights into these complexities, aiding in understanding and modeling the dynamic processes underlying immune-driven brain aging, and proving to be excellent models for exploring early-stage and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's disease.

This Research Topic emphasizes the critical role of aging stem cell niches as advanced models for dissecting the cellular, molecular, and genetic underpinnings of neurological disorders. By focusing on brain aging and its link to neurodegenerative disorders, the Research Topic seeks to collect cutting-edge research characterizing cellular heterogeneity using spatial and single-cell multi-omics approaches. It aims to explore hypotheses on stem cell niche aging and investigate how stem cells affect neuronal cell types and subtypes in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders, and whether there is a common pathway to different brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, it will delve into how the hippocampus's ability to
create new neurons declines with age, affecting memory functions.

We invite researchers to submit original research articles, reviews, and perspectives employing cutting-edge methodologies to advance our understanding of stem cell niches aging and neurovascular interactions, whether through computational biology, bioengineering techniques, or stem cell research.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:
- Roles of various stem cell types and emerging cell subtypes in the aging brain under healthy and diseased conditions.

- The aging niche of stem cells, gliogenesis, brain-on-a-chip technology, drug development and delivery strategies targeting aging-associated diseases, and stem cell therapy.

- Genetic risk factors and novel biomarkers in neurodegenerative disease

- Interactions among heterogeneous cell populations, ECM, and extracellular vesicles in white matter, NVU and neural stem cell niches.

- Advanced methodologies include spatial and single-cell RNASeq, multi-omics, cell fate determination within stem cell niches for studying brain aging (young/middle/old age) and neurodegenerative diseases.

- Integration of artificial intelligence in analyzing brain stem cell niche morphology and pathology.

Topic Editor Dr Vanessa Castelli is the holder of patent WO2024028487A1, titled "Intranasal administration of NGF for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss". All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Stem Cell Niche in Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders