Bioresources for Managing and Treating Dementia : Prospects and Challenges

Globally, dementia is a health challenge with remarkable socio-economic implications. In spite of advances in conventional treatment, there is an urgent need for more accessible, effective, and safer therapeutic options. Bioresources—including microbial metabolites, medicinal plants, and marine-derived compounds—offer a promising avenue for dementia treatment and management. Phytochemicals like terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids have shown neuroprotective properties, like anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and cholinesterase-inhibitory effects. An overview of the potential of various bioresources in dementia treatment and management is discussed in this book. However, the translation of bioresource-based therapies into clinical practice faces several obstacles. Limitations are variability in low bioavailability, concentrations of bioactive compounds, problems with regulations, and the need for rigorous clinical validation. Surmounting these obstacles entails advanced biotechnological approaches, interdisciplinary collaboration, and supportive policy frameworks. This book explores the potential of bioresources in dementia management, focusing on their mechanisms of action and key prospects and addressing the critical obstacles that must be navigated to harness their full therapeutic potentials.

     • Discusses pathophysiology and prevalence of dementia as well as the significance of the applications of diverse bioresources for managing and treating dementia

     • Highlights the application of medicinal plants, phytochemicals, microbial products, and marine-derived bioproducts for the management and treatment of dementia, with emphasis on their mechanisms of action

     • Discusses challenges, considerations, and future directions on the use of bioresources for managing and treating dementia

This book is ideal for clinicians, biotechnologists, biomedical scientists, dementia caregivers, researchers, and academicians. 

Abraham Olufemi Asuku is a Ph.D. holder in neurophysiology in the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. He obtained his first degree (B.Sc.) and master’s degree (M.Sc.) from the same department. Dr. Asuku is a passionate neuroscientist and medical biotechnologist. He currently works with the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, Nigeria, as a chief scientific officer. His area of interest is on mitigation of neurotoxicity, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurodevelopmental disorders by phytochemicals, and also on the applications of nanotechnology for neurodegenerative disease drug delivery. He is a member of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria and the Physiological Society, United Kingdom. He is an award-winning researcher and has over 60 publications, including book chapters and research and review articles of good international repute with a high impact factor. He has served as a reviewer for many reputable journals. He has also presented seminars at many conferences, both locally and internationally. He was one of the invited guest speakers at the VII International Conference of Universidad Tecnica De Manabi, Ecuador, in 2023. Dr. Asuku was an editor of the book titled Non-pharmacological Intervention for Dementia: A Comprehensive Approach, and he is currently editing two other books, Apitherapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Evolution and Innovation in Parkinson’s Disease Therapies in Under-Resourced Settings, to be published by CRC Taylor and Francis Publisher and IGI Global Scientific Publishing, respectively. His long-term goal is to discover therapeutic targets and help create focused treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. By bridging the gap between basic and translational neuroscience, he seeks to further knowledge of neuronal health and provide insights that may result in novel treatments.

Ayodeji Johnson Ajibare holds an MBBS, an M.Sc., and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Ilorin. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Physiology at Lead City University, Ibadan, where he also serves in several leadership and clinical roles, including head of the Department of Physiology, director of clinical services at Lead City University Hospital, and acting dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences. Dr. Ajibare’s research program sits at the intersection of neuroscience, endocrinology, and reproductive health. His work explores mechanisms of neurotoxicity, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress signaling, and endocrine-linked brain dysfunction, with particular emphasis on nutritional and phytochemical neuroprotection. He has published more than 50 scholarly works, with 28 indexed in Scopus, and has coauthored multiple book chapters. In addition to his research, Dr. Ajibare is actively involved in medical education, mentoring, and clinical service. He has coordinated MBBS training, contributed to university ethics and academic committees, and presented his findings at both national and international scientific meetings. He is also a member of professional bodies, including the Nigeria Medical Association and the Association of Specialist Medical Doctors in Academics. As a coeditor of Bioresources for Managing and Treating Dementia: Prospects and Challenges, Dr. Ajibare brings together clinical insight and translational research expertise. His long-term goal is to bridge basic neuroscience and clinical practice to advance innovative therapeutic strategies for dementia and related disorders.

Olugbemi Tope Olaniyan is Associate Professor of Applied Physiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria, and Visiting Professor in Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea. He holds a B.Sc. (University of Ilorin, Nigeria), M.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Ibadan, Nigeria) in Physiology and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biotechnology from Institute de Biotecnologico, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica, University of Granada, Spain. Consistently over the years, he has been ranked among the top 500 scientists in Nigeria with scholarly output from Scopus SciVal/Elsevier between 2020 and 2025, holding seventh position in Africa in Medical Sciences and Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientists. Dr Olaniyan has experience in cell culture, medical imaging, histology, immunohistochemistry, molecular and cellular biology techniques, ELISA, fluorescence microscopy, western blot, mitochondria physiology (sea horse), nanotechnology, biomedical statistics (STATA, GraphPad Prism, and SPSS), animal handling techniques such as mice, rats, C. elegans, zebra fish, and drosophilae. He also has vast experience in the utilization of modern technology for teaching and research such as Anatomage table, PowerLab, High and Low fidelity 3G SimMan Mannequins, and learning management system (LMS). He has over 15 years of cognate experience in teaching and research and has trained over 60 graduate students and co-supervised five master’s and two Ph.D. postgraduates. In addition, he has published over 90 journals, including 250 book chapters in reproductive biology, applied physiology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and biophysics in international reputable journals. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Physiological Society of Nigeria, Nigerian Bioinformatics and Genomics Networks, Drosophila Africa, Anti-Vec Network, Genetics Society of America, West Africa Genetics Society. His future goals will be to focus on applied physiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology techniques through the adoption and utilization of high-resolution microarray, next-generation sequencing, and current techniques in molecular biology and imaging that could help in the analysis of different factors that affect human health and the environment in order to achieve sustainable development goals.