Neurodegenerative diseases are currently some of the most debilitating and incurable illness, including highly prevalent disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Despite impressive advances in understanding the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, several clinical trials have failed in identifying drugs that successfully delay or stop disease progression. New targets are likely necessary to successfully combat these devastating diseases. In this chapter, we review the evidence indicating that impairment in the cellular energy machinery in the form of mitochondrial damage and dysfunction may be at the root of neurodegeneration. We also propose that transplant of functional isolated mitochondria may overcome the energetic damage and delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

神经退行性疾病是目前最令人衰弱和无法治愈的疾病之一，包括高度流行的疾病，例如阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森氏症。尽管在理解神经退行性疾病的分子基础方面取得了令人瞩目的进展，但几项临床试验未能确定成功延迟或阻止疾病进展的药物。要成功对抗这些破坏性疾病，可能需要新的目标。在本章中，我们回顾了表明线粒体损伤和功能障碍形式的细胞能量机制受损可能是神经变性的根源的证据。我们还提出移植功能性分离的线粒体可以克服能量损伤并延缓神经退行性疾病的进展。