Words of Wisdom

Mitochondria is an important mechanism in human cell biology and is everywhere since it exists in every cell of a living organism - neurons included. It plays a strong role in certain diseases, in longevity...........and a host of other biological functions. It's particular role(s) in brain cells (neurons) are manifold. Scientific American Magazine frequently has articles on new research in this area. A good introduction to the subject is of course Wikipedia's entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion. Here are links to a few additional introductory articles on the subject.

Eat (Less) to Live (Longer)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=eat-less-to-live-longer

Mitochondrial dysfunction and molecular pathways of disease
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WFB-4MVDVNX-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=63031efae27fc37edae2badc0736abeb

Brain mitochondrial dysfunction as a link between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T06-4N3H17B-3&_user=10&_origUdi=B7W6D-4T25XX0-2V5&_fmt=high&_coverDate=06%2F15%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_orig=article&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=afa804969850b7e54245aa96b64d90df

With their central place in cell metabolism, mitochondria damage - and subsequent dysfunction - is an important factor in a wide range of human diseases. These include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke, cardiovascular disease, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetes mellitus. The common thread linking these seemingly-unrelated conditions is cellular damage causing oxidative stress and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. These oxidants then damage the mitochondrial DNA, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. [From the Wikipedia article]