Inflammation in Cardiovascular and Neurological Diseases: Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Clinical Implications

About this Research Topic

Background

Inflammation is a common pathogenic process in both cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neurological disorders. It plays a central role in disease initiation, progression, and outcomes, from atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction to stroke, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline. Crucially, the interplay between cardiovascular and neurological conditions often involves bidirectional inflammatory crosstalk. For instance, acute or chronic cardiovascular events can precipitate neuroinflammation, exacerbating brain injury and cognitive impairment. Conversely, neurological disorders, including stroke and neurodegeneration, can amplify systemic inflammatory responses that increase susceptibility to adverse cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and arrhythmias. This intricate bidirectional relationship underscores inflammation as a key mechanistic link bridging the heart and brain, making it an attractive target for integrated diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary forum for exploration of inflammation's role in both cardiovascular and neurological diseases. We aim to bring together cutting-edge research that highlights the shared inflammatory pathways, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches that may help reduce the burden of both CVD and neurological diseases. The collection will explore molecular, cellular, and clinical insights into how inflammation contributes to the pathophysiology of these diseases and how we can leverage these findings for improved clinical outcomes.

We invite contributions from researchers working at the intersection of cardiovascular and neurological diseases to submit articles addressing the following key themes:

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying inflammation in cardiovascular and neurological pathologies
• Identification and validation of novel inflammatory biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic value
• Clinical trials and translational studies assessing anti-inflammatory interventions and their effects on disease outcomes
• Epidemiological studies exploring inflammation-related risk factors and population-level disease burden
• Causal inference studies to elucidate the role of inflammation in disease etiology and progression

This Research Topic accepts the following type of articles:

- Case reports
- Brief research reports
- Original research articles
- Study protocols
- Clinical trials
- Mini reviews
- Reviews
- Systematic reviews
- Methods articles
- Perspective articles
- Opinion articles
- Policy and Practice reviews

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: inflammation, cardiovascular disease, stroke, biomarker, neurological disease, atherosclerosis

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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