About this Research Topic
Understanding the relationships between diet and brain health is necessary to uncover the mechanisms involved. Responses to nutrition are linked to individual differences in multiple target genes, while food components or metabolites are among the many epigenetic regulators that modify gene expression without changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-protein-coding RNAs, are important to brain development, structure, and function. In addition, the microbiota plays crucial roles in the function and development of several physiological processes in the brain. Gut microbial dysbiosis has been associated with many neurological disorders, including Autism, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Depression, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and so on. Diet is an important factor to shape microbial composition during infancy and throughout life, thereby influencing brain function. The potential mechanisms by which dietary fibers are thought to affect cognitive processes are the gut microbiome and its metabolites, including short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
This research topic aims to spotlight research outputs highlighting the roles of nutrition in neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration, and the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis by bridging nutrition and neurological disease.
We welcome submission of original research, review, methods, observational, perspective, and interventional articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Dietary effects on brain health in the population. Dietary patterns, nutrients, phytochemicals, dietary fiber.
• Molecular mechanisms of neurological disease, neuroinflammation, gut-brain axis.
• Genomics and epigenomics to investigate mechanisms by which nutrition, genes, and brain health interact.
• Innovative approaches to investigate the development and/or prevention of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease. Artificial intelligence, medical big data analysis, biological information, and multi-omics analysis.
Keywords: Nutrition, Brain function, Clinical practice, Brain health, Dietary, Gut-brain axis
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.