Energy supply in neurons can be a challenging job. Image credit: Goriounova et al. 2019 (CC BY 4.0)
Cells are equipped with power factories called mitochondria that turn nutrients into chemical energy to fuel processes in the cell. Hundreds of mitochondria move throughout the cell, shifting their positions in response to energy demands. This happens via molecular motors that pick the mitochondria up and carry them to new locations. Such movements enable the mitochondria to accumulate in parts of the cell with the greatest energy needs.
Mitochondria of nerve cells or neurons have a particular challenging job, as neurons can be very long and different parts within the cells can have different energy needs. It has been shown that mitochondria stop in regions where nutrients such as sugar are most concentrated. So far, it has been unclear whether this regulated stopping helps control energy balance in neurons.
Here, Agrawal et al. used a computational model of rat neurons to find out whether sugar levels are sufficient in guiding mitochondria. The results showed that the mitochondria only accumulated in high-nutrient regions when the sugar concentrations were moderate – not too low and not too high. A specific range of sugar levels was necessary to make this mechanism useful for increasing the efficiency of energy production. Such concentrations match the ones observed in healthy rat brains.
When neurons are unable to meet their energy demands, they stop working and sometimes even die. This is the case in many diseases, including diabetes, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Computer models allow us to explore the complex energy regulation in detail. A better understanding of how neurons regulate their energy production and demand may help us discover how they become faulty in these diseases.
