Emotional and cognitive disorders represent a severe challenge in the field of global population health, ranging from autism in early childhood, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood, to Alzheimer’s disease in old age. These disorders affect a broad population and are characterized by complex etiology, unclear mechanisms, and limited effective treatments. Therefore, uncovering the pathogenesis of emotional and cognitive disorders, identifying effective intervention targets, and developing regulatory technologies are key focuses and challenges in brain science research.

This special issue will highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular, cellular, and neural circuit mechanisms underlying major emotional and cognitive disorders, as well as novel intervention targets and effective therapeutic strategies.