Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)

[RHF469usa]

A relationship between mitochondria and disease started to become apparent in 1975, when Douglas Wallace and his colleagues, then at Yale University, described an association between mitochondrial DNA and a genetic disorder. During the 1990s, researchers linked the effects of mutations in mitochondrial DNA to various other conditions. One in 5,000 people has an inherited mitochondrial disease of some kind, with consequences that can include diabetes, vision and hearing problems, learning difficulties and other disorders. Only in the last decade or so, however, have scientists seriously explored the influence of mitochondria on mental health and well-being, especially when it comes to stress, anxiety and depression.