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Updated: Nov 7, 2025

Analysis of Brain Mitochondria Using Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: July 9, 2016
Clinical Insights into Mitochondrial Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Their Biosignatures from
Haorong Li1, Martine Uittenbogaard2, Ling Hao1
1Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 4000, 800 22nd St., NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
Abstract:
Mitochondria are dynamic multitask organelles that function as hubs for many metabolic pathways. They produce most ATP via the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, a critical pathway that the brain relies on its energy need associated with its numerous functions, such as synaptic homeostasis and plasticity. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction is a prevalent pathological hallmark of many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders resulting in altered neurometabolic coupling. With the advent of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, MS-based metabolomics provides an emerging mechanistic understanding of their global and dynamic metabolic signatures. In this review, we discuss the pathogenetic causes of mitochondrial metabolic disorders and the recent MS-based metabolomic advances on their metabolomic remodeling. We conclude by exploring the MS-based metabolomic functional insights into their biosignatures to improve diagnostic platforms, stratify patients, and design novel targeted therapeutic strategies.
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