David Ghiyam

In the New England Journal of Medicine in the spring of this year, well, let me go back a little bit. So Alzheimer's, as I've indicated, is primarily a metabolic issue. It's a mitochondrial issue. You fix the mitochondria, you fix the brain health. Yes, and if you damage the mitochondria, you set the stage for Alzheimer's. You set the stage for neurons to undergo suicide.

In the New England Journal of Medicine in the spring of this year, well, let me go back a little bit. So Alzheimer's, as I've indicated, is primarily a metabolic issue. It's a mitochondrial issue. You fix the mitochondria, you fix the brain health. Yes, and if you damage the mitochondria, you set the stage for Alzheimer's. You set the stage for neurons to undergo suicide.

Yes. There's a lot we're gonna have to unpack here. So we'll do this maybe in the fourth hour. But to sidetrack on that answer real quick, I will say that yes, we have a huge opportunity to replace effective mitochondria with fully functioning, better functioning mitochondria.

Yes. There's a lot we're gonna have to unpack here. So we'll do this maybe in the fourth hour. But to sidetrack on that answer real quick, I will say that yes, we have a huge opportunity to replace effective mitochondria with fully functioning, better functioning mitochondria.

We do that through scavenging dysfunctional mitochondria through a process called mitophagy, and we can grow new mitochondria through mitochondrial biogenesis, and we'll talk about how we can make that happen. But therapy for the brain and improvement in Alzheimer's patients or at least slowing their decline and Parkinson's as well focuses on dealing with the dysfunction of the mitochondria.

We do that through scavenging dysfunctional mitochondria through a process called mitophagy, and we can grow new mitochondria through mitochondrial biogenesis, and we'll talk about how we can make that happen. But therapy for the brain and improvement in Alzheimer's patients or at least slowing their decline and Parkinson's as well focuses on dealing with the dysfunction of the mitochondria.

That's where we need to be in this epidemic that you opened our discussion with today. I do want to tease the audience a little bit with the notion that we've always focused on the brain cell. One would think that's where the action is, the neuron, because it's so active from an energy perspective, i.e. the mitochondria.

That's where we need to be in this epidemic that you opened our discussion with today. I do want to tease the audience a little bit with the notion that we've always focused on the brain cell. One would think that's where the action is, the neuron, because it's so active from an energy perspective, i.e. the mitochondria.

I indicated earlier that a neuron may have as many as a thousand mitochondria. But it turns out where we are in the latest research is really exciting because it's shining the spotlight not on the neuron itself, but on the caretakers of the neuron. We're going upstream of the neuron. The neuron's a worker bee doing what it can do.

I indicated earlier that a neuron may have as many as a thousand mitochondria. But it turns out where we are in the latest research is really exciting because it's shining the spotlight not on the neuron itself, but on the caretakers of the neuron. We're going upstream of the neuron. The neuron's a worker bee doing what it can do.

Hopefully, the environment's going to be one that is salubrious in terms of how the neuron does what it needs to do. transmit information, connect to another neuron through a synapse, and allow the networks to function. But the caretakers of the neurons are the brain's immune cells called the microglia. So these microglia make up about 10 to 12% of all the cells in the brain.

Hopefully, the environment's going to be one that is salubrious in terms of how the neuron does what it needs to do. transmit information, connect to another neuron through a synapse, and allow the networks to function. But the caretakers of the neurons are the brain's immune cells called the microglia. So these microglia make up about 10 to 12% of all the cells in the brain.

And they are immune cells. They're part of the innate immune system. but they do a heck of a lot more. So when you think of immune cells, you think of, well, how it's able to fight off bacteria, viruses, fungi, et cetera, how it protects us. We think of immunity in terms of our body's ability to take care of these confrontations. People are interested in a robust immune-ish function.

And they are immune cells. They're part of the innate immune system. but they do a heck of a lot more. So when you think of immune cells, you think of, well, how it's able to fight off bacteria, viruses, fungi, et cetera, how it protects us. We think of immunity in terms of our body's ability to take care of these confrontations. People are interested in a robust immune-ish function.

Now that COVID has let us recognize that those individuals whose immune systems are not up to snuff were and remain at higher risk for complications from COVID and even long COVID. Who are those individuals? These are individuals with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, three of the big players in metabolic diseases. So what I'm saying then is,

Now that COVID has let us recognize that those individuals whose immune systems are not up to snuff were and remain at higher risk for complications from COVID and even long COVID. Who are those individuals? These are individuals with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, three of the big players in metabolic diseases. So what I'm saying then is,

is there's this powerful then relationship between our metabolic health and our immune health to the extent that there's now been defined an area of medicine called immunometabolism, immunometabolism. In my area of interest, the immunometabolism conversation takes us to the brain's immune cells called the microglia.

is there's this powerful then relationship between our metabolic health and our immune health to the extent that there's now been defined an area of medicine called immunometabolism, immunometabolism. In my area of interest, the immunometabolism conversation takes us to the brain's immune cells called the microglia.

The microglia are wholly dependent upon their mitochondrial energy producing function.

The microglia are wholly dependent upon their mitochondrial energy producing function.