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Psychogeriatric Research: A Conceptual Introduction to Aging and Geriatric Neuroscience
Author(s) -
Cacabelos Ramón
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
psychogeriatrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1479-8301
pISSN - 1346-3500
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2001.tb00046.x
Subject(s) - pharmacogenomics , medicine , drug development , geriatric psychiatry , psychiatry , population , epidemiology , psychosocial , neuroscience , psychology , drug , pharmacology , pathology , environmental health
Psychogeriatrics (PG) is a multidisciplinary specialty in clinical neuroscience dealing with brain disorders in the elderly population. As any other biomedical field PG has to establish an educational and practical framework in epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and social, ethical, and legal issues associated with brain aging and age‐related central nervous system disorders. Understanding the molecular basis of aging will help to characterize and differentiate the fundamentals of pathological aging and psychogeriatric ailments. Modern epidemiology of age‐related brain disorders have to incorporate novel diagnostic criteria, biological markers, and genetic epidemiology to its methodological armamentarium to avoid bias. Molecular genetics will help to conceptually redefine many psychogeriatric disorders depending upon its genetic component and those interacting environmental factors leading to the phenotypic expression of given diseases. Genetic testing for monogenic and complex/polygenic/multifactorials disorders has to be included in diagnostic protocols since approximately 60 to 80% of major psychogeriatric disorders are genetically driven. It is also important to distinguish mutational genetics from susceptibility genetics in order to establish novel therapeutic strategies and preventive programmes. Genomics, proteomics, and pharmacogenomics are novel fields from which PG can benefit in the areas of etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. Drug development in PG requires updated regulations in developed countries. New pharmacological treatments for aging brain disorders are needed. Pharmacogenomics will become an optimal strategy for drug development, contributing to design a molecular psychopharmacology for the elderly, individualizing drug therapy, optimizing efficacy and safety, and reducing unnecessary costs.