| Grant number: | 16/07115-6 |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| Start date: | September 01, 2016 |
| End date: | October 31, 2018 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology |
| Principal Investigator: | Tânia Araújo Viel |
| Grantee: | Tânia Araújo Viel |
| Host Institution: | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP). Fundação Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho. São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated researchers: | Carolina Demarchi Munhoz ; Hudson de Sousa Buck ; Mariana da Silva Araujo |
Abstract
The aging process is attracting the world's attention, once the aged phase can bring many debilitating chronic diseases. In recent years, our research team has shown the benefits of the environmental enrichment and the administration of lithium ions in microdoses for the memory improvement in both human beings and mice, which can lead to healthspan. Besides, we also verified the role of the cholinergic system for the neuroplasticity. Our hypothesis is that the nutritional enrichment with lithium and the use of the enriched environment are efficient strategies for the prevention and treatment of cognitive disabilities that take place along the elderly. These strategies can promote neuroplasticity, reduce stress and alter the chronic inflammatory pattern in rodents and humans. The aim of this work is to evaluate the changes in biomarkers for neuroplasticity, stress and inflammation in human beings and animals submitted or not to strategies that can lead to a healthful aging. In animals, the effects of lithium will be observed in senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP-8). In human beings, the observation will be done in volunteers diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and treated or not with lithium in microdoses. The analysis of biomarkers for neuroplasticity and the study of the cholinergic system will be done using brain samples of the LOU rat, a model of healthful aging, comparing to brain samples of very old people, from a human brain bank, diagnosed or not with Alzheimer's disease. In this way, we intend to make a translational analysis of the molecular mechanisms related to longevity and verify the influence of the different treatments, as well as the role of the cholinergic system in this process. (AU)
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