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In a message dated 96-01-03 15:52:06 EST, you write: >wanted to know if anyone else was struggling with this, or has had >experience with Emory, or Mitochondria Drs. Wallace and Shoffner at Emory are the best in the business of mitochondria. The impact of defects in mitochondrial DNA (we all have DNA not only in the nuclei of our cells but also in our mitochondria) on degenerative disorders like PD and Alzheimer's is just coming to the attention of geneticists and neurologists in about the last 5 yrs or so. The mitochondria are like the lungs of the cell. They require oxygen (and other raw materials) to ultimately produce energy (ATP). Any number of things can impair the energy-producing process (known as oxidative phosphorylation or OXPHOS). As we age, we accumulate mutations (not necessarily inherited ones) that occur due to "hits" on our mitochondrial DNA from free radical damage etc.(hence, many of you take Vit.E, C, etc. to reduce free radicals). Wallace and colleagues have shown that in the course of normal aging, the brain accumulates these mutations and that the brains of people with PD accumulate these mutations to a greater extent than the average aging person. Eventually an "expression threshhold" is reached where one accumulates enough mutations that their OXPHOS capacity (in mitochondria) is impaired and shows up in the form of physical symptoms. Just what roll these mutational accumulations play in PD is still not known. It's just known that there are more mutations present in the PD brains that have been studied than in age-matched "normal" people. On the flip side of the coin, there are a whole group of well-characterized mitochondrial disorders known as "mitochondrial myopathies" (pain, wekaness, stiffness, cramps) or "mitochondrial encephalopmyopathies" (neurologic symptoms such as seizures, stroke) that have specific mutations that are usually inherited. ...more later if you have specific questions - this is getting too long. It's good to go to Emory if there is significant indication from a neurologist that a mitochondrial disorder may be at the root of your problem. Delana Vaughan