Citrus Flavonoids and Effects in Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline

The influence of dietary and citrus flavonoids on health and mental well-being has been increasingly attractive. They exert antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Aging, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation increase the risk of degeneration of the central nervous system. Citrus flavonoids can traverse the blood–brain barrier and hence are promising candidates for intervening in age-related neurodegenerative disorders, dementias, and cognitive declines. Pharmacological activities of flavonoids can be attributed to their antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and signaling properties. In brains, flavonoids are more likely to act as signaling molecules than antioxidants. In this chapter, we briefly demonstrate dietary and citrus flavonoids and their effects in neuroprotection and improvements in neurodegenerative disease-associated dementias and cognitive declines. Distinct beneficial bioactivities of flavonoids on neurological processes, ameliorating effects of citrus flavonoids in Alzheimer’s disease-related memory impairments, multiple mechanisms (including those controlled at molecular level) underlying neuroprotection, and memory improvements of citrus flavonoids are discussed. Additionally, the application of the flavonoids to other dementias and practical concerns for therapeutic use are also mentioned.