About this Research Topic
Growing evidence has suggested a role for ketogenic diets in influencing the quality of life and prognosis of diseases affecting human cognitive and behavioural function. Such conditions include those involving neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or dementias of varying nature such as Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia. However ketogenic diets also appear to hold promise for other increasingly prevalent pathologies such as Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Ketogenic diets are suggested to improve aspects of the pathogenesis of these conditions, for example high levels of oxidative stress or inflammation. They therefore represent therapeutic alternatives that could improve the efficacy of existing pharmacological treatments in terms of symptomatology, particularly considering the impact that they can have at the cognitive and emotional level.
The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to address the latest advances regarding the efficacy of Ketogenic diets in treating the aforementioned diseases. Consideration will be given both in relation to improvements on an emotional level (e.g., in levels of depression and anxiety), and on a cognitive level (e.g., regarding aspects of processing, attention, learning capacity or memory, among others).
The topics to be considered are papers dealing with this subject, in which the efficacy of the increase in ketone bodies in the blood following the administration of diets or specific foods rich in medium-chain fatty acids (such as coconut oil, butter, or goat's milk, among others) is quantified and discussed. Experimental analytical work, both in humans and in animal models, that addresses changes in emotional or cognitive variables, which may be linked to improvements in inflammation or oxidative stress as fundamental mechanisms in the pathophysiology of these diseases, will be particularly appreciated. Reviews of the current literature on the subject, both systematic and narrative, are also well received.
Ketogenic diets are suggested to improve aspects of the pathogenesis of these conditions, for example high levels of oxidative stress or inflammation. They therefore represent therapeutic alternatives that could improve the efficacy of existing pharmacological treatments in terms of symptomatology, particularly considering the impact that they can have at the cognitive and emotional level.
The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to address the latest advances regarding the efficacy of Ketogenic diets in treating the aforementioned diseases. Consideration will be given both in relation to improvements on an emotional level (e.g., in levels of depression and anxiety), and on a cognitive level (e.g., regarding aspects of processing, attention, learning capacity or memory, among others).
The topics to be considered are papers dealing with this subject, in which the efficacy of the increase in ketone bodies in the blood following the administration of diets or specific foods rich in medium-chain fatty acids (such as coconut oil, butter, or goat's milk, among others) is quantified and discussed. Experimental analytical work, both in humans and in animal models, that addresses changes in emotional or cognitive variables, which may be linked to improvements in inflammation or oxidative stress as fundamental mechanisms in the pathophysiology of these diseases, will be particularly appreciated. Reviews of the current literature on the subject, both systematic and narrative, are also well received.
Keywords: ketone diets, cognitive activity, behavioral activity, brain function, Neuroprotection
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