Mitochondria & Brain Energetics in Neurodevelopment & Disorders Conference

Memo

The human brain is the most energetically expensive organ. The development of the human brain is a complex process that requires the precise temporal and spatial orchestration of many cellular events and molecular pathways and is therefore energy-demanding. Mitochondria are critical organelles that meet most of this energy demand in both a cell type-specific and developmental stage-specific manner. Mitochondria are dynamically produced and degraded, remodelled through the balance of fusion and fission events, and transported to different compartments of neurons. Altered mitochondrial dynamics are increasingly linked to various brain disorders. This meeting will showcase recent breakthroughs in understanding the molecular mechanisms governing mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics in neurodevelopmental disorders, with the aim to foster collaborations and inspire new perspectives on mitochondrial biology and neurodevelopmental disorders. Key Sessions Neurogenesis and neural differentiation Glial development Synaptic maturation and function Circuit function Developmental disorders Therapeutic development Novel methods for studying brain energetics and mitochondria