Alzheimer’s Linked To Mitochondrial Mutations

Fight Aging!

Do you want to live a longer life in good health? Simple practices can make some difference, such as exercise or calorie restriction. But over the long haul all that really matters is progress in medicine: building new classes of therapy to repair and reverse the known root causes of aging. The sooner these treatments arrive, the more lives will be saved. Find out how to help »

As noted at Wired, Alzheimer's has been linked to mutations in mitochondrial DNA: "They found variations of a particular mutation in 65 percent of the brains of Alzheimer's patients and none of the others. It could be that they impair energy production in the cells, increase the generation of free radicals that can damage cells, and destroy the connections between brain cells." While it's not clear whether this is a contributing cause or just an effect, mitochondrial mutations have been identified as a cause of aging. If Alzheimer's researchers start to look at repairing damaged mitochondria (a course of action proposed by biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey), I for one will not be complaining.

Link: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64107,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_9