Your brain’s power supply might be the hidden key to mental illness.
Every thought, emotion, and memory in your mind depends on energy. Your brain is like a tiny city, powered by billions of microscopic batteries called mitochondria. These tiny engines keep your neurons firing, your mood stable, and your focus sharp. But when that power supply starts to falter, the entire system begins to break down.
New research suggests that disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may not start with “chemical imbalances” alone, but with energy imbalances. When mitochondria don’t produce enough power, brain cells struggle to communicate. The result can feel like a mental brownout, foggy thinking, emotional instability, and low motivation.
Scientists are now exploring ways to recharge the brain’s energy grid. From targeted nutrients and light-based therapies to mitochondria-boosting compounds, the goal is simple: restore the brain’s power and heal the mind from the inside out.
It’s a shift in how we see mental health, not as weakness, but as an energy problem science can fix.
Dr. Cohen's laboratory has led the way in developing techniques that grow living brain cells from patient samples using induced pluripotent stem cell technology. He describes these advances as "giving us leads we did not have forty years ago." Through this approach, his team has identified key disruptions in how brain cells generate energy and connect with one another -- processes that appear central to many psychiatric illnesses affecting millions globally. With more than 400 scientific papers and five patents, his research points to new treatment strategies that could prove far more precise and effective than traditional therapies.
Meanwhile,
Your brain isn’t afraid of hard work. It’s afraid of not knowing.
This reaction goes back to evolution. Our ancestors needed to stay alert in the face of danger, not confusion. But today, the same system overreacts to unanswered texts, job changes, or unclear futures. Your brain craves clarity because it equates predictability with safety.
Once you give it that clarity, through plans, structure, or simply understanding what’s happening—your stress response calms down. You feel grounded, capable, and focused again.
The next time you feel overwhelmed, remember this: you’re not weak for feeling stressed. Your brain is just searching for certainty in a world full of unknowns. Give it direction, and you’ll find peace.
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