Mitochondrial dysfunction in ALS

In the present article, we review the many facets of mitochondrial dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease due to loss of upper motor neurons in cerebral cortex and lower motor neurons in brainstem and spinal cord. Accumulating evidence from recent studies suggests that the many, interconnected facets of mitochondrial dysfunction may play a more significant role in the etiopathogenesis of this disorder than previously thought. This notion stems from our expanding knowledge of the complex physiology of mitochondria and of alteration of their properties that might confer an intrinsic susceptibility to long-lived, post-mitotic motor neurons to energy deficit, calcium mishandling and oxidative stress. The wealth of evidence implicating mitochondrial dysfunction as a major event in the pathology of ALS has prompted new studies aimed to the development of new mitochondria-targeted therapies. However, it is now clear that drugs targeting more than one aspect of mitochondrial dysfunction are needed to fight this devastating disease. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.