Mitochondrial signal transduction (2022)

Role of Mitochondria Beyond “Powerhouse”

• Commenters emphasize mitochondria as dynamic organelles involved in signaling, immunity, stress responses, and neuronal function, not just ATP production.
• Some object to calling them a “microprocessor” or “processor,” seeing that as overly reductive or misleading.
• Others note they participate in analog, graded signal transduction rather than clean digital on/off logic.

Extracellular Mitochondria and Vesicles

• One participant with lab experience describes free mitochondria and mitochondria-containing extracellular vesicles (EVs) as surprisingly abundant under some culture conditions.
• They report experimental difficulty, sensitivity to small condition changes, and high variability in measurements.
• EVs are described as essential for normal physiology but also involved in pathology; therefore, not simply “aging villains” but fundamental machinery that can malfunction.
• Free mitochondria outside cells are said to provoke strong inflammatory responses, raising safety concerns about ideas like “mitochondria injections.”

Computational and Machine Analogies

• Repeated debate over computer metaphors for cells, brains, and mitochondria.
• Some argue analogies (e.g., brain as computer, mitochondria as processor) are useful teaching tools; others say they are vacuous or misleading if not predictive.
• There is concern that “everything is computation” rhetoric can encourage over-trust in algorithms and shallow cross-domain expertise.
• Several comments explore when analogies are legitimate models versus oversimplified “phibs” that break down outside narrow conditions.

Exercise, Metabolism, and Disease Links

• Commenters discuss increased mitochondrial numbers with endurance exercise and reduced sugar intake, tying this to improved ATP production and athletic performance.
• Mitochondrial function is linked (by commenters) to conditions like epilepsy, migraine, and broader mental health issues, with ketones and fasting suggested as potential modulators.
• Some speculate on mitochondrial dysfunction as a root factor in neurological and psychiatric diseases, while acknowledging this remains a developing research area.

Aging, Inheritance, and Modulation

• The mitochondrial theory of aging via reactive oxygen damage is mentioned, alongside questions about how maternally inherited mitochondria avoid cumulative damage.
• One explanation offered is that mitochondria passed to offspring come from specially protected maternal cells.
• Low-level laser therapy and dietary “mitochondrial modulators” are referenced, but their effectiveness and mechanisms are treated cautiously or as unclear.