Modern environmental and lifestyle risk factors, oxidative stress, perturbed epigenetic processes, and increasing incidence of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and neurological disorders

Abstract

Our goal is not to describe a single harmful environmental or lifestyle risk factor in great detail, as most scientific articles do. In contrast, we aim to point out that human beings are continuously and simultaneously exposed to countless kinds of harmful environmental and lifestyle risk factors. First, we briefly review and evaluate several environmental, technological, and lifestyle risk factors. We point out that each of these can be associated with perturbed oxidative and epigenetic processes, and the onset of various diseases, including neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neurological disorders, with a worldwide increasing prevalence. In addition, disturbed epigenetic changes by modern technological innovations and lifestyle risk factors can be inheritable to offspring and subsequent generations. Furthermore, disturbed epigenetic changes may also accumulate in the genome. Finally, diverse environmental and lifestyle risk factors may enhance vulnerability and decrease the resilience of modern humans. Keywords: Modern environmental and lifestyle risk factors, oxidative stress, perturbed epigenetic processes, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.