Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Nov 2021)

The Potential Role of miRNAs in Cognitive Frailty

  • Giulia Carini,
  • Laura Musazzi,
  • Francesco Bolzetta,
  • Alberto Cester,
  • Chiara Fiorentini,
  • Alessandro Ieraci,
  • Stefania Maggi,
  • Maurizio Popoli,
  • Nicola Veronese,
  • Nicola Veronese,
  • Alessandro Barbon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.763110
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Frailty is an aging related condition, which has been defined as a state of enhanced vulnerability to stressors, leading to a limited capacity to meet homeostatic demands. Cognitive impairment is also frequent in older people, often accompanying frailty. Age is the main independent risk factor for both frailty and cognitive impairment, and compelling evidence suggests that similar age-associated mechanisms could underlie both clinical conditions. Accordingly, it has been suggested that frailty and cognitive impairment share common pathways, and some authors proposed “cognitive frailty” as a single complex phenotype. Nevertheless, so far, no clear common underlying pathways have been discovered for both conditions. microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key fine-tuning regulators in most physiological processes, as well as pathological conditions. Importantly, miRNAs have been proposed as both peripheral biomarkers and potential molecular factors involved in physiological and pathological aging. In this review, we discuss the evidence linking changes of selected miRNAs expression with frailty and cognitive impairment. Overall, miR-92a-5p and miR-532-5p, as well as other miRNAs implicated in pathological aging, should be investigated as potential biomarkers (and putative molecular effectors) of cognitive frailty.

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