Gerontology & Geriatric Research

THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN PROMOTION OF HEALTHY AGING AND PREVENTION OF AGE-RELATED NEURODEGENERATION TO AVOID THE CATASTROPHIC CLIFF OF NEURONAL FAILURE

4^th International Conference on Geriatrics & Gerontological Nursing

October 3-4, 2016 | London, UK

Giulio Maria Pasinetti

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Gerontol Geriat Res

Abstract:

Psychological stress triggers mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, which are highly detrimental to general health in the aged. Therefore, it is essential to understand how to promote neuroresilience in order to support healthy aging. Despite the therapeutic promise of natural products, their development of clinical applications is severely hampered by our limited understanding regarding the identity of specific bioactive compounds, their bioactivity, and their mechanisms of action. This presentation is designed to discuss strategies to safely promote healthy aging while discussing novel mechanistic evidence associated with stress-induced cognitive and psychological impairment, which are still unmet medical issues related to the aging population. My presentation objectives are: 1) To understand mechanistically the role of polyphenolic drugs in promoting cognitive and psychological resilience in the aged. 2) To inform the development of novel polyphenolic drugs to alleviate the means of stress-induced depression, which is a risk factor for age-related neurodegenerative disorders. 3) To provide more information about the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic and behavioral association in preventing cognitive impairment using optogenetic approaches. 4) To provide new evidence to better understand the interactions between gastrointestinal microbiome and bioavailability of novel bioactive natural drugs in the prevention of age-related neurodegeneration. Collectively, in my presentation, I will critically discuss the current complex mosaic of evidence, which puts the investigation of novel therapeutic approaches at the cross-roads between promotion of healthy aging and prevention of age-related psychological impairment and the promotion of resilience to avoid the catastrophic cliff of neuronal failure.