Chronic metabolic stress, central nervous system gene expression and innovator traits: What might we do to manage them?

Abstract

Modern global markets have made for shorter product cycles. In turn, the importance of innovation to advanced economies has risen and psychological traits associated with innovation and entrepreneurship (as measured, for example, on some subscales of the eSAIL inventory, such as agency and abstract construal) have become recognized as a critically important national resource. Recent work has shown an inverse correlation between chronic stress and scores achieved on such scales. In light of the epidemic levels of metabolic stress observed in advanced economies, this review focuses on pathways and gene products of importance to mitochondrial homeostasis, known to connect metabolic stress with impaired cerebral function, with possible implications for agency and abstraction. Knowledge of these pathways identifies possible interventions, and some of these are also discussed.