Research

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(www.sardegnaricerche.it)

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Our Working Hypothesis

• Among the biological processes of aging, the decreased ability to deal with metabolic stress seems to be of particular importance. Aging is a chronic stressful state.

• In humans, brain age-related alterations are mainly caused by metabolic oxidative stress processes, particularly affecting the hippocampal pyramidal neurons.

• The hippocampus is part of the limbic system and exerts an important influence on the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

• The hippocampus plays a key role in the regulation of stress-induced corticosteroid secretion

• The hippocampus is also a basic structure for social life, being involved in memory, learning, mood regulation.

• Hippocampal aging induces a dysfunction of the HPA axis, characterised by a state of hyperadrenoglucocorticism.

• Excess corticoid receptor activation mediates neuronal degeneration through an increased influx of calcium into the cells, by an increased release of excitatory amino acids – glutamic acid, kainic acid – coupled with a decreased level of inhibitory amino acids – GABA, glycine, taurine –

• Hyperadrenoglucocorticism can be easily detected by a simple clinical marker, i.e. the non-response to the dexamethasone suppression-test.

• The consequences of hyperadrenoglucocorticism may include hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia, atherosclerosis, immunosuppression, centralisation of fat mass, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, fatigue syndrome, mood disturbances, disturbances of higher cognitive function, particularly memory.

• NRA is developing a combination of active nutrient products (IP protected) aimed at counteracting the process of hippocampal aging and its physiopathological cascade of events induced by oxidative stress processes;