Dear Colleagues,

Globally, the population is rapidly aging and it is predicted that people aged 60 and over will represent 20-25% of the total population by 2050. For this reason, it is necessary to pay serious attention to health care for the elderly. Age-related neurological complications are common and affect an individual's quality of life. Therefore, understanding the main mechanisms associated with the changes associated with aging, as well as the factors that delay these inevitable destructive events in the structure and function of the brain, is important for identifying new therapeutic approaches to meet the needs of an aging population. This will help to develop multimodal health strategies to increase the quality of life and lifespan. The literature data suggest that there is a precise "program" for growth, fertility, aging, and death in the pineal gland. Accordingly, this gland is seen as a "clock" that "tracks and regulates" the ontogenetic phases of our genetically inherited "program" of life. Melatonin is an endogenous hormone synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland that is involved in the control of important physiological processes including in the nervous system related to circadian rhythms, energy metabolism, epigenetic factors, and autophagy.

This Special Issue will involve research manuscripts, reviews, as well as short commentaries on topics related to the underlying mechanism and the role of putative signaling molecules, including the hormone melatonin in aging and concomitant neurodegenerative diseases. It can cover reports from animal models to pre-clinical studies in the field of aging as well as neurodegenerative diseases. Papers focused on the intrinsic mechanisms underlying delay or facilitation of aging and melatonin impact on related processes will be considered for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Jana Tchekalarova
Guest Editor

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• Aging
• melatonin
• signaling molecule
• neurodegenerative diseases
• inflammation