Genetic basis of hereditary nerve disorder revealed

A major form of one of the most prevalent inherited neurological disorders in humans, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), stems from an abnormality in the cellular powerhouses, or mitochondria, that fuel the nerves required for muscle control, suggests new findings by neurogeneticists at the Duke Center for Human Genetics and their international colleagues. The unexpected discovery could open new research pathways to understanding an array of diseases of the peripheral nervous system, as well as treatments for CMT, the researchers said.