Mitochondria: old and new target in brain research

Excerpt

Increasing evidence suggests that the deleterious and progressive cellular changes in ageing are associated with the mitochondrion, namely the “Mitochondrial free radical theory of ageing” (Harman 1972, 1981), since the mitochondrion is one of the main sources of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) and its proteins are targets for oxidative alteration and loss of function (Halliwell 2001). This was further extended by Linnane et al. (1989), who proposed that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations and subsequent cytoplasmic segregation of these mutations is an important contributor to ageing and neurodegenerative disorders. Over the recent years, the mitochondria became the focus of accumulating research studies of various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that abnormalities and deficits in mitochondrial function and structure are having a major role in neuronal dysfunction in these diseases. Based on this, it is becoming a necessity to develop mitochondria-targeted drugs, as novel therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative diseases. …