HOUSTONâJustin Friendâs parents have doctoral degrees and have worked as university lecturers and researchers. So Mr. Friend might have been expected to head for a university after graduating from high school in Bryan, Texas, five years ago. Instead, he attended Texas State Technical College in Waco, and received a two-year degree in welding.
A flurry of emergent research has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction results in impaired ATP generation, loss of cellular repair mechanisms, and cellular inefficiency.
Mitochondrial disease primarily affects brain, heart and muscle in varying levels of severity. Depending on which cells of the body are affected, symptoms may include: 1  Poor growth. 2  Loss of muscle coordination, muscle weakness. 3  Visual and/or hearing problems. 4  Developmental delays, learning disabilities. 5  Mental retardation. 6  Heart, liver or kidney disease. 7  Gastrointestinal disorders, severe constipation.