A neurodegenerative perspective on mitochondrial optic neuropathies

Patrick Yu-Wai-Man , Marcela Votruba, Florence Burté, Chiara La Morgia, Piero Barboni, Valerio Carelli; Review: Acta Neuropathologica pp 1-18 First online: 30 September 2016 doi:10.​1007/​s00401-016-1625-2

Open Access

Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is the most common form of hereditary ataxia and it is due to recessive mutations in the FXN gene, which encodes for a mitochondrial protein involved in the biosynthetic pathways of iron-sulphur clusters. The latter are essential components of aconitase and the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I, II and III, and their combined dysfunction probably contributes to the development of optic neuropathy, which is now a well-recognised feature of FRDA.

 A neurodegenerative perspective on mitochondrial optic neuropathies