In a flurry of PINK, mitochondrial bioenergetics takes a leading role in Parkinson's disease

For many years research in Parkinson's disease (PD) has linked mitochondrial dysfunction with the characteristic loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, accumulation of cytoplasmic inclusions termed Lewy bodies, and motor dysfunction (Henchcliffe & Beal, 2008). The most compelling connection is that Parkinsonism can be observed in both humans and animals following exposure to inhibitors of complex I of the electron transport chain (Betarbet et al, 2002).