Demographic trends show that independently of geographic regions and socioeconomic background, the absolute and relative number of older persons is increasing worldwide. It has been estimated that the prevalence of persons aged 65 years and older worldwide will increase from…
Neuroendocrine aging is a multifactorial process that typically spans years and is characterized by sequential phase transitions. These transitions are progressive in nature and are typified by stages of system-level changes in function, followed by compensatory adaptations. Furthermore, phase transitions…
Introduction “Stress” is often identified as a factor in accelerated aging, an important factor in disorders such as cardiovascular disease and depression, and a contributor to other disorders. Being “stressed out” is a commonly used expression that generally refers to…
Environmental stressors and several genetic pathways play complex and crucial roles in the neurobiology and control of aging. This chapter will summarize current knowledge on these two specific research areas divided into two sections, one on free radical stressors and…
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is an extremely rare, uniformly fatal, segmental premature aging disease in which children exhibit phenotypes that may give us insights into the aging process at the cellular and organism levels. This chapter will compare HGPS to…
Introduction Aging changes are universal within a species and are intrinsic and progressive. They are universal; each true aging change should develop in all individuals in a species if they live long enough. Aging is intrinsic because these changes occur…
Introduction Our society is experiencing unprecedented demographic changes where improvements in health care and living conditions together with decreased fertility rates have contributed to the aging of the population and a severe demographic redistribution. Over the last 50 years, the…
Introduction From the biologic perspective, aging is a rather complex term to define. Aging is not a disease but, because aging is the main risk factor for so many chronic diseases and conditions, it is difficult to separate the two…
Introduction The difficulty of undertaking research involving older people tends to be exaggerated. It is wrongly assumed that too many will have significant comorbidity leading to a poor signal-to-noise ratio, an unacceptably high risk of adverse events, inability to complete…
The question “Why does aging occur?” calls for answers at the level of proximate physiologic mechanisms and at the level of ultimate evolutionary origins. This chapter provides an understanding of why aging has evolved and examines what evolution theory can…