Neurological Disease Modeling in Animals

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editor

Petros Mikalef

Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Birmingham

Petros is currently a Consultant Hand Surgeon mainly working at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. He has a specialist interest in the treatment of patients with Spasticity. Petros has worked as a Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant in the UK and abroad, and he is exclusively practicing Hand Surgery since 2013 giving him a wealth of experience in the treatment of Hand Surgery Conditions Petros has been trained in world reputed Hand Centres, in Derby, and in Birmingham and is an accredited Hand Surgeon having passed the European Diploma for Surgery of the Hand in 2014. He has also attended further subspecialty training in the treatment of Spasticity of the Upper Limb as well as neurectomies for Spasticity of the Lower Limb. Petros is currently treating patients with deformities and disabilities caused by spasticity which are secondary to Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, or other neurologic conditions. He provides operative and non-operative treatment and is a member of the Multidisciplinary team that treats patients with Cerebral Palsy in the Birmingham Children’s Hospital giving the patients a smooth transition and continuity of care when moving to adult services Petros has been the Spasticity Lead at the HaPPeN (Hand, Plastics, & Peripheral Nerve) Research Network, a research network that is based in Birmingham and has a significant portfolio of research trials. His main research interest is basic science in Spasticity treatment with a view to set a light in the changes that need to be acknowledged when planning treatment that reduces the hypertonia of the spastic muscle

Collection Overview

Neurological diseases represent a profound challenge to global health, affecting millions and encompassing a broad spectrum of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. Animal models have been indispensable for elucidating the complex pathophysiology underlying these conditions and for preclinical testing of therapeutic strategies. Despite their critical role, accurately replicating human neurological diseases in animals remains a formidable challenge due to species-specific differences, variability in disease progression, and limitations in recapitulating complex behavioral and cognitive phenotypes.

This collection aims to bring together diverse methodologies and cutting-edge research findings that advance the development and application of animal models in neurological disease research. By inviting contributions that include method-focused and original research articles, the collection seeks to highlight both established and emerging strategies for modeling neurological disorders.

The goal of this collection is to provide a comprehensive resource that not only showcases technical advancements but also offers critical insights into overcoming current limitations in animal modeling. This will facilitate more reproducible, translatable, and mechanistically informative studies, ultimately accelerating therapeutic discovery. Researchers, clinicians, and neuroscientists will benefit from this curated collection by gaining access to validated protocols, innovative approaches, and rigorous evaluations that collectively push the frontier of neurological disease modeling.