Main description:

At the beginning of the 20th century, life expectancy at birth in North America and Western Europe was around 50 years of age. Nowadays, women have gained more than 30 years of age and men are trailing closer. However, according to several sociologists such as Louis Chauvel, the notion of a "greying society" is not entirely adequate since aging people are physically and socially younger and more active for a longer time. Of course, the other side of the medal is to tackle the challenge of preventing age-associated chronic diseases. In this book the extensive field of research on neuroendocrine aging has been reviewed. Aging is one of the most complex biological processes determined by the interactions between genetic and environmental factors.

Contents:

Regulation of C. elegans life span by insulin-like signaling.- IGF.1 and insulin signaling in the control of longevity.- IGF-1 receptors in mammalian longevity: less is more.- IGF-1 gene polymorphisms and disease in the elderly.- How do changes in the GH/IGF-1 status of the elderly - whether occurring naturally, pathologically or therapeutically induced - impact their lives?- Are estrogens protective or risk factors in the brain? Insights derived from animal models.- Estrogen and cognitive functioning in women.- The long thread of GFAP in aging, steroids, and synaptic plasticity.- Aging white matter and cognitive decline: a role for steroids.- Polymorphisms and male aging.- Testosterone supplementation and aging-associtated sarcopenia.- Age-related changes in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis: the role of personality variables.- Genetic polymorphisms and age-related diseases: the example of osteoporosis.- Prediction of death in the elderly men: endocrine factors.- Circadian rhythmicity and aging: the molecular basis of oscillatory gene expression.- Subject index