Enviromimetics: From exercise mimetics to cognitomimetics in the quest for enhanced brain health and cognition

Enviromimetics were first proposed over two decades ago, as novel therapeutics to mimic or enhance the beneficial effects of environmental stimulation. In the intervening period, subclasses of enviromimetics have been proposed, most notably exercise mimetics. Epimimetics constitute an additional subclass of enviromimetics, which act via epigenetic mechanisms. In this article, the concept of enviromimetics is updated, including its subclasses, and explored in the context of the development of novel therapeutic approaches to a wide range of human disorders, with a specific focus on neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, a new concept is introduced, that of ‘cognitomimetics’, which specifically mimic or enhance the therapeutic effects of cognitive stimulation. One focus of discussion is the beneficial molecular and cellular mechanisms induced by environmental exposures and lifestyle factors, including increased physical activity and cognitive stimulation. Exercise mimetics represent the largest, and most experimentally tractable, subclass of enviromimetics, due to the biologically pervasive and readily quantifiable therapeutic impacts of physical activity, both within the nervous system, and throughout the body. These mechanisms provide new insights into molecular targets for these novel therapeutic approaches. It is hoped that this will lead to new ways to prevent, ameliorate and eventually cure a wide range of human illnesses, particularly brain disorders, which collectively constitute the largest, and most rapidly growing, global burden of disease.