Mitochondria Are Not Just Powerhouses - They’re Decision-Makers

By Ricardo Adamo

For decades, mitochondria were introduced to us with a single, flat sentence: they are the powerhouse of the cell. 

Martin Picard, a mitochondrial psychobiologist, has spent his career showing just how incomplete that idea is.

Mitochondria don’t just make energy.
They sense stress, communicate with the nucleus, shape inflammation, influence mood, and help decide how the body adapts to life.

In short: mitochondria are not background machinery. They are active participants in how we feel, heal, and age.

Mitochondria Are Dynamic, Not Static

One of Picard’s central teachings is that mitochondria are constantly changing.

They:

  • Fuse together and split apart
  • Move within cells
  • Change their shape, number, and efficiency
  • Adapt to signals from hormones, nutrients, movement, and stress

This means mitochondrial health is not fixed by genetics alone.
It is deeply shaped by lived experience.

Your mitochondria today are different from your mitochondria last year - because you are different.

Energy Is Information

Picard emphasizes that ATP (cellular energy) is not just fuel - it’s a signal.

The amount, timing, and location of energy production tell cells:

  • Whether to repair or grow
  • Whether to inflame or calm
  • Whether to conserve or adapt

Low or inefficient mitochondrial energy doesn’t just cause fatigue - it can alter:

  • Immune function
  • Hormone signaling
  • Brain chemistry
  • Stress resilience

This reframes chronic exhaustion, burnout, and inflammation not as “mental weakness” but as bioenergetic states.

Stress Talks Directly to Mitochondria

Psychological stress is not “all in your head.”
Picard’s work shows that stress hormones like cortisol directly alter mitochondrial structure and function.

Under chronic stress, mitochondria may:

  • Produce less efficient energy
  • Generate more inflammatory signals
  • Shift cells into survival mode rather than repair mode

Over time, this can contribute to:

  • Fatigue syndromes
  • Mood disorders
  • Metabolic dysfunction
  • Accelerated aging

Importantly, this also means that stress reduction is not optional self-care - it’s mitochondrial medicine.

Mitochondria and the Mind Are Linked

Picard challenges the idea that mental health lives only in the brain.

Mitochondria influence:

  • Neurotransmitter production
  • Neural firing patterns
  • Inflammation in the nervous system
  • The body’s perception of safety or threat

When mitochondria struggle, the brain often shifts toward:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Brain fog
  • Reduced motivation

This helps explain why physical exhaustion and emotional exhaustion so often overlap - they are powered by the same cellular systems.

Movement, Not Just Exercise, Trains Mitochondria

Picard highlights that mitochondria respond strongly to movement signals, not just intense workouts.

Different types of movement send different messages:

  • Endurance movement improves efficiency
  • Strength work increases capacity
  • Gentle movement supports mitochondrial communication
  • Overtraining without recovery can damage mitochondrial networks

The goal is not punishment - it’s adaptive signaling.

Your mitochondria are listening to how you move and how you recover.

Mitochondria Remember

Perhaps one of Picard’s most profound insights is that mitochondria carry a form of biological memory.

Past stress, illness, trauma, and lifestyle patterns can leave lasting mitochondrial signatures - but these signatures are modifiable.

Through:

  • Rest
  • Nutrition
  • Stress regulation
  • Meaningful social connection
  • Thoughtful movement

Mitochondria can relearn safety, efficiency, and resilience.

The Big Takeaway

Martin Picard’s work invites a radical shift:

Health is not just about organs or symptoms.
It’s about cellular energy, communication, and adaptation.

Mitochondria sit at the intersection of:

  • Biology and psychology
  • Stress and resilience
  • Environment and genetics

When we care for mitochondria health, we’re not just boosting energy - we’re shaping how the body interprets and responds to life.

References

  1. Picard M & McEwen BS (2018) — Psychological Stress and Mitochondria: A Systematic Review — Psychosomatic Medicine.
    Reviews evidence connecting psychological stress with changes in mitochondrial structure and function, showing how stress hormones and behavior influence mitochondria and vice versa.

  2. Picard M & McEwen BS (2018) — Psychological Stress and Mitochondria: A Conceptual Framework — Psychosomatic Medicine.
    Conceptualizes mitochondria as stress-sensitive organelles that integrate psychosocial and cellular processes and transmit signals that shape biological responses.

  3. Picard M, McEwen BS & Epel ES & Sandi C (2018) — An Energetic View of Stress: Focus on Mitochondria — Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology.
    Describes how mitochondria provide the energy and signaling mechanisms that underlie stress adaptation, including glucocorticoid metabolism and behavioral responses.

  4. Picard M & Sandi C (2020) — The Social Nature of Mitochondria: Implications for Human Health — Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
    Argues that mitochondria behave like interacting social units (not isolated “powerhouses”), communicating with each other and with the nucleus to coordinate cellular responses.

  5. Picard M (2022) — Energy Transduction and the Mind–Mitochondria Connection — The Biochemist.
    Frames mitochondrial energy as foundational to both physiological processes and subjective mind-body interactions, supporting the field of mitochondrial psychobiology.

  6. Picard M, Shirihai OS (2022) — Mitochondrial Signal Transduction — Cell Metabolism.
    Reframes mitochondria from static energy organelles to dynamic processors of information that shape cellular and organismal behavior.

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