Mitochondrial Medicine and the Neurodegenerative Mitochondriopathies

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are a common late-life scourge for which diseasemodifying treatments are sorely needed. Mitochondrial perturbation is commonly observed in these diseases, so pursuing treatment development strategies that target mitochondria or processes affected by mitochondria seems reasonable. This review discusses the rationale underlying past and current efforts to treat neurodegenerative diseases using mitochondrial medicine, and tries to predict how future efforts might proceed.

Keywords

• mitochondria
• mitochondrial biogenesis
• mitochondriopathies
• neurodegenerative diseases
• oxidative stress