Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Using Live Cell STED Imaging to Visualize Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Ultrastructure in Neuronal Cell Models
Published on: June 30, 2023
Brain aging, Alzheimer's disease, and mitochondria
1Department of Neurology, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA. rswerdlow@kumc.edu
None:
The relationship between brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is contentious. One view holds AD results when brain aging surpasses a threshold. The other view postulates AD is not a consequence of brain aging. This review discusses this conundrum from the perspective of different investigative lines that have tried to address it, as well as from the perspective of the mitochondrion, an organelle that appears to play a role in both AD and brain aging. Specific issues addressed include the question of whether AD and brain aging should be conceptually lumped or split, the extent to which AD and brain aging potentially share common molecular mechanisms, whether beta amyloid should be primarily considered a marker of AD or simply brain aging, and the definition of AD itself.
Related Concept Videos
Mitochondria
Mitochondria
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Mitochondrial Membranes
