Women in Neuroscience of Bioelectronic Medicine

Editorial: Women in Neuroscience of Bioelectronic Medicine.Bioelectronic Medicine is becoming the landmark of a new era of therapies, where pharmacological treatments are replaced or combined with the leverage of electricity to restore optimal function of organs and systems. The list of applications is becoming countless, converging with the necessity of mechanistic biological understanding, the advancement of technologies in biocompatible and conductive materials, the integration of computational and electronical approaches, and the translation of basic science into the clinic. The complexity behind the development of translational treatments relies on its inherent multidisciplinary nature, which has prompted international instances to foster the creation of centers and programs to enhance collaborative efforts. The research topic collection:"Women in Neuroscience of Bioelectronic Medicine" was initiated not only to promote the integration of neurosciences with multiple other disciplines, but also to encourage the participation of women, historically underrepresented in science. This topic collection has 100 % participation of women in the editorial, 80 % as first author, and 60 % of all authors.The nervous system conveys exquisite specialization to integrate multiple functions and maintain systemic homeostasis, and our research topic collection features research in both central and peripheral nervous systems. Neuroscience is often associated with the study of the brain. However, the study of peripheral (somatic and autonomic) nerve circuitry and brain-peripheral interactions is equally important to understand systemic disorders and develop precision therapies with little to no off-target side effects. The research presented by Rodriguez-Arzate et al. is an example, they discuss the use of non-photic electroretinogram (ERG) as a non-invasive method commonly used in eye care, for the high-resolution capture of retinal function. Their work compared spontaneous retinal oscillations from different species and proposed as a biomarker to study dysfunction in retinal pathophysiology and to diagnose retinal and other neuronal pathologies at early stage (i.e., hereditary retinal dystrophy and multiple sclerosis). Seicol et al. present a perspective on the use of neuromodulation to reduce inflammation and prevent hearing loss due to inflammation in the auditory system. On the peripheral nerve side, Alvardo-Navarrete et al. integrate concepts on the spinal cord and vestibular input through the study of Hoffman's reflex to evaluate transient excitability outputs on descending pathways. This allowed them to identify biomarkers in the evaluation of the integrity of vestibulospinal tracts, often disrupted in injured patients or during neurodegenerative diseases.Our research topic collection also features a special and comprehensive multidisciplinary review by Gonzalez-Gonzalez et al. "Bioelectronic Medicine: a multidisciplinary roadmap from biophysics to precision therapies". This review brings together scientists from different fields to discuss concepts with relevance to Bioelectronic Medicine. The highlights include a historic literature compilation of this emerging field, followed by core concepts on the biophysics of the neuronal membrane presented by the esteemed biophysicist Ramon Latorre. A special emphasis is provided to the refractory period, referring to the inactivation of neurons immediately after all voltage dependent Na + channels are opened due to an action potential event. This concept is very relevant to the design of neuromodulation treatments, often modifying frequency, amplitude, and pulse duration of the electrical stimulus.The phenomenon of neurotransmitter switching was discovered by the group of Nicholas Spitzer, who, along with Marta Pratelli, discussed in the review the importance of taking this phenomenon into account when designing long-term treatments. Their research opens the possibility to understand nervous system plasticity through the lens of neuromodulation that modifies the nature of neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors in the post synapse. This concept could impact the design of psychiatric treatments, and hopefully replace or reduce the use of neuroactive drugs with deleterious side effects or limited efficacy. Thébault, Conde and Gonzalez further provide an overview of core concepts pertaining to the physiology of the cell and the advancement in system neuroscience.They discuss the concept of field potentials, which is the temporal summation of synchronous activity among neuronal populations modulated not only by the activity of glial and endothelial cells, but also