Figure 1.

Potential strategies to prevent or delay neurodegeneration.

Epigenetic modifications leading to impaired neuronal function and plasticity can be triggered by early-life environmental factors such as pre- and post-natal dietary restrictions or overfeeding, parental stressful events, and exposure to neurotoxicants. Subsequent harmful environmental exposures, dietary habits and lifestyles within the course of life can further contribute to the neuronal damage, ultimately leading to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases later in life. Our ability to detect as early as possible epigenetic marks of early-life exposure as well as epigenetic biomarkers of increased risk to develop neurodegeneration later in life could represent a challenging opportunity to plan epigenetic interventions with natural compounds, exercise and brain stimulation to enhance neuronal plasticity and prevent or delay neurodegeneration. Particular effort should be put in the search of preclinical epigenetic biomarkers of neurodegeneration, in order to identify older adult subjects that could particularly benefit from those interventions.