Song · Translational neurodegeneration 2024 · narrative review · n=?

Focusing on mitochondria in the brain: from biology to therapeutics.

Cited 90 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of biological mechanisms and therapeutic concepts without systematic methodology or primary human data.

PubMed 38632601 · doi:10.1186/s40035-024-00409-w · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

This review synthesized literature on mitochondrial biology in brain physiology and pathology, exploring mitochondria-dependent cellular events, the roles of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurological diseases, and potential mitochondrial-targeted therapies.

What was found

The abstract reports no primary experimental or clinical trial data and includes no quantitative statistical findings, other than stating that the brain demands 20% of the resting metabolic rate. It qualitatively notes that mitochondrial defects induce or exacerbate brain pathology and that mitochondrial-targeting therapeutics show potential for brain diseases.

Why it matters

The paper synthesizes how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to neurological disease phenotypes and highlights emerging strategies targeting mitochondrial mechanisms in the brain.

Limits

As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic search protocol, quality assessment of included studies, or quantitative meta-analytic data. No primary empirical or clinical efficacy numbers are reported in the abstract.

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