Role of Food-Derived Bioactives in Cognitive Function, Mental Health, and Healthy Aging: A Nutritional Neuroscience Perspective
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Neuro Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 October 2026 | Viewed by 2282
Editors
2. Health Sciences Division, Doctoral College, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
3. Fodor Center for Prevention and Healthy Aging, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: nutritional neuroscience; healthy aging; cognitive function; brain health; food-derived bioactives; phytochemicals; polyphenols; neuroprotection
2. Fodor Center for Prevention and Healthy Aging, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: nutritional epidemiology; aging and longevity; cognitive aging; dietary interventions; brain–metabolism interactions; oxidative stress; inflammation; mental health and nutrition
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The relationship between nutrition and brain function has emerged over the past decade as one of the most rapidly advancing areas in biomedical and public health research. Growing scientific evidence indicates that naturally occurring food-derived bioactive compounds may play a key role in maintaining cognitive function, supporting mental health, and promoting healthy aging processes. The integrative framework of nutritional neuroscience enables the combined investigation of molecular mechanisms, clinical outcomes, and population-level health effects.
This Special Issue aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field of nutritional neuroscience, with a core focus on the role of food-derived bioactives in brain health, neurocognitive function, and psychological well-being across the lifespan. Aligned with a major international research priority for aging societies, we place special emphasis on mechanistic, clinical, epidemiological, and nutritional intervention studies that drive the development of evidence-based dietary recommendations and preventive strategies for lifelong brain health.
Spanning fundamental research, clinical medicine, public health, and nutritional science, this topic builds a broad author and readership base. Its multidisciplinary scope welcomes diverse methodological approaches, elevating the scientific impact of contributions and advancing collective understanding of how nutrition shapes brain health across all life stages.
We invite original research articles, narrative and systematic reviews, and meta-analyses addressing the interactions between nutrition, brain health, and healthy aging, including (but not limited to) research from basic, clinical, and epidemiological fields, as well as dietary intervention studies. All submissions will advance the development of evidence-based nutritional strategies to support lifelong brain health.
Dr. Mónika Fekete
Guest Editor
Dr. Noémi Mózes
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nutritional neuroscience
- healthy aging
- food-derived bioactives
- polyphenols
- dietary patterns
- Mediterranean diet
- cognitive decline
- neurodegeneration
- mental health
- neuroinflammation
- oxidative stress
- gut–brain axis
- psychobiotics
- precision nutrition
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
