NeuroPhytome – Interacciones entre plantas y cerebro

Interacciones planta–cerebro desde una perspectiva evolutiva

An Interdisciplinary Research Project

NeuroPhytome Project

NeuroPhytome is a project embedded within the research line Evolutionary Foundations of Human–Plant Interaction under the HPCN Pillar of CRAI. NeuroPhytome addresses a central question: how long-term changes in agriculture, selection for yield and uniformity, and stress-minimization practices have reshaped the phytochemical architecture of plant-based foods, thereby altering the landscape of plant-derived regulatory signals to which human physiology is chronically exposed.

Hypothesis

NeuroPhytome is based on the premise that the human organism has historically been exposed to complex phytochemical landscapes derived from plant matrices cultivated under ecologically variable conditions. These landscapes do not function as isolated pharmacological agents, but as low-intensity signalling environments that interact with conserved regulatory systems, including redox, metabolic, inflammatory, and epigenetic networks. The progressive simplification of phytochemical diversity within contemporary agricultural systems may have reduced the structural richness of these regulatory signals, with potential implications for baseline regulatory tone across the lifespan. The project does not propose direct causality or immediate clinical effects; rather, it advances the hypothesis that sustained changes in the phytochemical architecture of the dietary environment may influence long-term biological resilience and adaptive capacity.

Vision

NeuroPhytome seeks to consolidate a scientific framework that enables plant-based foods to be understood as architectures of biological signaling, beyond their content of individual nutrients.
El proyecto busca posicionar el estudio de matrices fitoquímicas complejas como una dimensión estratégica en la investigación sobre regulación biológica basal, envejecimiento funcional y resiliencia sistémica.

From Molecular Profiles to Systemic Regulation

NeuroPhytome develops an integrated analytical pathway that connects the metabolomic characterisation of whole plant matrices with the study of conserved regulatory networks and their functional interpretation at the systemic level. The approach shifts the focus from individual compounds toward structural diversity, patterns of co-occurrence, and the matrix organisation of complex phytochemical networks. This perspective enables plant-based foods to be understood as architectures of biological signalling, capable of interacting with redox, metabolic, and inflammatory systems that sustain baseline regulatory balance. The result is a coherent interpretative framework linking phytochemical diversity to long-term functional stability.

The scientific gap

Contemporary research reveals a significant disconnect:

There is extensive evidence demonstrating the activation of regulatory pathways through isolated compounds under acute experimental conditions.

However, the impact of chronic exposure to whole phytochemical matrices at nutritionally realistic intake levels remains insufficiently characterised.

Structural changes in phytochemical diversity resulting from modern agricultural practices are rarely examined in relation to baseline biological regulation.

NeuroPhytome addresses this gap from an evolutionary and systems-level perspective, focusing on the architecture of the phytochemical landscape and its potential cumulative influence on regulatory balance.

Methodological approach

The project integrates complementary disciplines to address complex biological questions:

Phytochemistry and metabolomics – characterization of compounds of plant origin

Neurobiology and epigenetics – study of regulatory and signaling routes

Evolutionary biology – contextualización en la historia evolutiva humana

Computational analysis – data integration and pattern identification

Systems Biology – interpretation of interactions beyond isolated effects

Scientific and social relevance

NeuroPhytome contributes to redefining food quality from a regulatory and structural perspective, focusing on the functional architecture of complex phytochemical matrices rather than solely on the presence of isolated nutrients. The project positions the institute at the interface of advanced plant science, systemic biological regulation, functional ageing, and adaptive resilience. In the medium and long term, this approach may inform the development of functional nutrition strategies based on whole matrices, the optimisation of cultivars with structurally more diverse and coherent phytochemical profiles, and new research directions in ageing and neurodegenerative processes from a preventive perspective. Without presupposing specific clinical applications, the project establishes solid conceptual and mechanistic foundations for future personalised strategies grounded in complex biochemical environments.

Expected results

NeuroPhytome will generate comparative maps of phytochemical diversity in plant matrices and develop interpretative models linking plant metabolic architecture to human baseline regulation. It will also produce mechanistic evidence on the interaction between complex phytochemical landscapes and key regulatory systems, including redox, metabolic, and inflammatory networks. These advances will help consolidate a robust conceptual framework for future research on systemic resilience and functional ageing, while providing a structured foundation for transfer toward agro-functional and biomedical innovation.

Team and collaborations

The project is coordinated by the Centro Rausenbach de Análisis e Investigación (CRAI) and is structured within the Neurobotánica platform. It is conceived as an open international network fostering collaboration with universities, research centres, and strategic partners interested in the interface between plants, biological regulation, and human evolution.

Collaboration

We invite academic institutions, foundations, and strategic partners to establish contact in order to explore scientific collaborations, joint project development, and knowledge transfer in the field of complex phytochemical matrices and systemic regulation. NeuroPhytome represents a strategic commitment to advancing a deeper understanding of the link between plant biodiversity and human biological stability.

Contact

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