Of brains, holes, and mitochondria

Abstract

Mitochondria are rod-shaped organelles, roughly the size of bacteria, found in the cytoplasm of nearly all cells. Despite their tiny size, however, mitochondria can pack a mighty punch; they are the powerhouses of the cell, harnessing energy from the oxidation of food molecules in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Healthy mitochondria are especially critical for the proper functioning of specialised cells of the brain and spinal cord, called neurons. When mitochondria fail, neurons die. That is why Professor Neville Vassallo, at the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry and the Centre for Molecular Medicine of the University of Malta, believes that mitochondria might hold the key to understanding the molecular underpinnings of brain neurodegenerative disorders.