CNS barriers
The blood vessels that vascularize the central nervous system are equipped with specialized cells that regulate the movement of ions, molecules, pathogens, and immune cells between the blood and the tissues of the central nervous system (CNS). These cells help to form the CNS barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, the blood-spinal cord barrier, and the blood-cerebrospinal barrier, among others. Dysfunction of these CNS barriers has been implicated in a range of neurological pathologies, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, brain tumors, bacterial infections, and neuroinflammatory disorders. In addition to excluding toxins and pathogens, the BBB also prevents most drugs from entering the brain, posing a challenge for neurotherapeutic development.
This Collection welcomes original research on the barriers of the CNS, including their structure, function, and roles in neurological health and disease.
Editors
Submitting a paper for consideration
To submit your manuscript for consideration at Scientific Reports as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, under “I’m submitting:” select the option “any other article type”. Once logged in you can submit your manuscript to a Collection by selecting “Guest Edited Collection”, under the “Choose the appropriate manuscript type” message, and clicking “Continue”. Then when filling out the manuscript information, select the “CNS barriers” Collection from the alphabetical list on the “Springer Nature Subject Category” tab. Authors should express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.
Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.