From Ask the Mito Doc--Spring 2003

[Guest guest]

Here is one of the questions from the " Ask to Mito Doc " pamphlet that

was published by UMDF.

?Question?

How does mitochondrial disease affect the brain, and cognitive

function? How common is it to see a child with mitochondrial disease

that is quite bright?

Response from: Boles MD:

As all cells and organs require energy, mitochondrial disease can

affect almost any part of the body. However, because of their very high

energy requirements, nerve and muscle, and especially brain, are

affected more often than other parts of the body. Mitochondrial disease

can affect any part of the brain, resulting in many possible problems

that can occur in any combination, including mental retardation,

learning disabilities, autistic features, depression, attention deficit,

seizures, loss of balance (ataxia), floppy muscles (hypotonia), tremor,

and many others.

Many physicians have the opinion that all individuals with

mitochondrial disease are mentally retarded. Many are, but many are

not. The truth is that any level of intelligence is possible ranging

from gifted to profoundly mentally retarded. Personally, I have

evaluated several individuals with mitochondrial disease that are

" bright " ; usually they suffer overall from mild to moderate disease.