Energising the mind: linking mitochondria and mental health

Martin Picard, PhD is an Associate Professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he leads the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group (www.picardlab.org) and co-directs the Columbia Science of Health program. His research investigates the intersection of the science of energy and the human experience of energy. After identifying novel membrane structures for mitochondrial communication in primary mitochondrial diseases, his laboratory showed that cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) and the energetic resistance biomarker GDF15 are psychological stress-inducible molecules detectable in blood and saliva, developed a mitochondrial health index (MHI) to study the mind-mitochondria connection in immune and brain tissues, and developed a longitudinal cellular lifespan model to show how chronic stressors increase the cost of living and accelerate epigenetic aging in human cells. Dr. Picard’s team has also contributed to defining the diversity of mitochondria across the brain and body, showed that hair greying is reversible, and established how genetic mitochondrial defects influence stress physiology, energy expenditure, and the rate of aging. Together with an international team of collaborators, he leads the NIH-funded Mitochondrial Stress, Brain Imaging and Epigenetics (MiSBIE) study that integrates deep molecular, bioenergetic, clinical and psychosocial phenotyping among individuals with primary mitochondrial disorders. Investigators and trainees in the translational Mitochondrial Psychobiology research group combine clinical, cellular, and computational approaches to create a holistic vision of the energetic processes underlying human health and healing.

Jelena Brasanac is a postdoctoral researcher at the Klinik für Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She is interested in investigating the interactions between psychiatric symptoms and the immune system, setting up novel models of clinical trials as well as harnessing the potential of altered states of consciousness in the treatment of mental health disorders.