Title:Mitochondrial Inherited Disorders and their Correlation with
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Volume: 24
Issue: 4
Author(s): Sofjana Gushi and Vasileios Balis*
Affiliation:
- Department of Health Science and Biomedical Science, Metropolitan College - Thessaloniki Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece
Keywords:
Mitochondria, neurodegeneration, mitochondrial DNA, mitophagy, heritability, homeostasis.
Abstract: Mitochondria are essential organelles for the survival of a cell because they produce
energy. The cells that need more mitochondria are neurons because they perform a variety of
tasks that are necessary to support brain homeostasis. The build-up of abnormal proteins in neurons,
as well as their interactions with mitochondrial proteins, or MAM proteins, cause serious
health issues. As a result, mitochondrial functions, such as mitophagy, are impaired, resulting in
the disorders described in this review. They are also due to mtDNA mutations, which alter the
heritability of diseases. The topic of disease prevention, as well as the diagnosis, requires further
explanation and exploration. Finally, there are treatments that are quite promising, but more
detailed research is needed.