Aging and Neurodegeneration in the Brain

Neurodegenerative disorders, including the diseases that cause dementia, are major causes of death worldwide. In fact, in some developed countries such as the UK, Alzheimer’s disease is the leading single cause of death. Aging is by far the major risk factor for these late onset disorders, suggesting that a better understanding of the molecular pathways underpinning aging could provide key insights into the treatment or prevention of these devastating diseases. At present, the interplay between the pathways involved in aging and neurodegenerative disorders is far from clear. However, recent advances in these fields suggest that this will be a key area for ongoing and future research to address the rapidly aging demographic shift among global populations.

This Research Topic will explore the molecular and cellular pathways that share roles in aging and neurodegeneration. Some of these pathways, such as insulin signaling, have been well studied in aging, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease; however, the exact molecular mechanism linking them is still not understood. Other pathways well known to be linked to aging, such as mitochondrial homeostasis, cell metabolism, and protein quality control have also been associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases, often by large genome-wide association studies. But how does age-related dysfunction in these pathways lead to a greater risk for neurodegenerative diseases? Are interventions aimed at the aging process a good therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases?

This Research Topic will bring together current research and expert views on the link between the aging process and neurodegenerative diseases, to deepen our understanding of these key questions for 21st-century biomedicine.

This Topic welcomes submissions of original research, reviews, protocols, mini reviews, perspectives and brief research reports. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• The role of age-related molecular and cellular pathways in neurodegenerative diseases

• Neuronal dysfunction during aging

• Glial dysfunction during aging

• Blood-brain-barrier dysfunction during aging

• Interplay between peripheral age-related dysfunction and brain disease

• Diabetes and brain aging

• Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders and their link to aging pathways

• Therapeutic approaches to modulate aging as potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.