Using Brain Cubes to create a Mitochondrial Map
The mitochondria, the organelles classically known for being “the powerhouse of the cell,” are responsible for energy production in animals. Though the brain accounts for only about 2% of an average adult’s body weight, it consumes 20% of our daily energy. Therefore, it is unsurprising that impaired mitochondrial function is associated with neurological diseases, particularly in the aging population. To further understand how mitochondrial energy production affects neurology, a group at Columbia University undertook a study to map the density of mitochondria throughout the brain using a unique approach.
The group used a woodworking tool to divide a donated brain from a 54-year-old who died of a heart attack into three-millimeter square cubes, and analyzed it both for mitochondrial density and efficiency of energy production. The resulting 703 brain cubes yielded a detailed map of the brain, called MitoBrainMap, leading to fascinating observations. Regions of the brain that evolved more recently had denser mitochondria, for example in the cortex, which characterizes the evolutionary jump from lizards to primates. Additionally, the group found that grey matter, which performs central processing in the brain, has over 50% more mitochondria than white matter, which communicates signals throughout the body.
The group is continuing this work by creating algorithms that incorporate their data to make predictions, expanding their method to map more donated brains, and exploring connections to neurological and age-related diseases. Given the importance of energy production in the brain, the MitoBrainMap has the potential to vastly expand our understanding of neurobiology.
This study was led by Eugene Marsharov, Ayelet Rosenberg, and Anna Monzel with corresponding authors Michel Thiebaut de Schotten and Martin Picardat at Columbia University.
Managing Correspondent: Olivia Lavidor
Press Article: First map of human brain mitochondria is ‘groundbreaking’ achievement (Nature Briefing)
Original Journal Articles: A human brain map of mitochondrial respiratory capacity and diversity (Nature)
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