Topic: axonal calcium levels

Due to their large scale and uniquely branched architecture, neurons critically rely on active transport of mitochondria in order to match energy production and calcium buffering to local demand. Consequently, defective mitochondrial trafficking is implicated in various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. A key signal regulating mitochondrial transport is intracellular calcium. Elevated Ca2+ levels have been demonstrated to inhibit mitochondrial transport in many cell types, including neurons. However, it is currently unclear to what extent calcium-signaling regulates axonal mitochond