Charles Darwin's Mitochondrial Disorder: Possible Neuroendocrine Involvement.

ABSTRACT: Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist, suffered relapsing, debilitating illness for most of his adult life with a plethora of symptoms. The diagnosis favoured here for this illness is that of an adult-onset mitochondrial disorder due to a maternally inherited, pathological mitochondrial DNA mutation clinically manifesting as MELAS (mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) syndrome. This diagnosis accounts for Darwin's primary symptoms; in addition, it accounts for the various unusual illnesses that afflicted his siblings and maternal (Wedgwood) ancestors. Symptoms of Darwin's illness may be related to dysfunction of cells with high energy requirements; this includes cells constituting the cardiac conduction system, cerebral endothelial cells, neurons, neuroe

SUBMITTER: Hayman J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8710138 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature