Mitochondria Bioenergetic and Cognitive Functions: The Cannabinoid Link

Despite the well-known role of chronic mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathophysiology of the brain, the impact of acute impairment of mitochondrial activity by cannabinoids on higher brain functions is unknown. In a recent paper in Nature, Hebert-Chatelain et al. elegantly uncovered the essential role that bioenergetic processes have in the regulation of higher brain functions, such as learning and memory.