Healthspan and Neural Aging: Merging the Exposome and One Environmental Health - From Molecular Mechanisms to Epidemiology

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Background

The influences of various environmental factors on the quality of health across the life-span are currently appreciated but not well characterized nor understood. This will require an examination of the intersection between multi-dimensional factors as well as consideration of the more complex impacts of environmental factors on ecosystem-wildlife-human health or One Environmental Health.

The idea for this Research Topic emerged from a recent National Academies workshop on the Science of Aging and Environmental Health Research, which focused on the role of environmental pollutants in aging processes, including neural diseases. A primary goal is to take a step in this direction by bringing together a broad expanse of research that examines the intersection between environmental exposures and health across the life-span. This may include early life exposure and an early or protracted health effect, exposure during later-in-life and health effects, or effects of pro-longed exposure on the process of healthy aging. The identified hallmarks of healthy aging include alterations in the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems of which may be interrelated. Even within the neurological area there are many dimensions to this special Research Topic that span molecular mechanisms to epidemiology including large data sets revealing disease incidence, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurogenerative diseases coincident with communities and environmental drivers.

Providing a framework for examining the interaction between environmental factors and the aging process or age-related susceptibilities of the nervous system becomes increasingly important given the rapidly emerging and increasing pressures on health from pollutants, disease, climate change, community, and health disparities. Moving from an association of exposure and health outcome to a cause-and-effect will likely require identifying links with underlying biological mechanisms. The scope of this Topic will include investigations and reviews on specific hallmarks of aging, underlying mechanisms and consequences of exposure in the context of aging processes, vulnerable life stages, integration of the spectrum of exposures (Exposome), as well as the development of model systems and investigations on potential intervention strategies.

Keywords: Environmental Toxins, Neural Diseases, Endocrine Disruption, Exposome, Environmental One Health

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