Mitochondria do more than power our cells: they shape how we think, feel, and experience the world. In this interview, Dr. Martin Picard breaks down his new research that illuminates how mitochondria affect brain energy, brain networks, mental health, and ultimately, our quality of life.

Dr. Picard walks us through his team's revolutionary brain mapping study, which examined over 700 sections of the human brain to uncover how mitochondria are distributed and specialized by brain region and cell type. The results have profound implications for how we understand, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disorders like depression bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why mitochondrial health is essential for brain function
• How different brain regions rely on different types of mitochondria
• Why people respond so differently to the same metabolic dysfunction
• How future scans and biomarkers could help us measure brain energy non-invasively
• What it means to think of ourselves as “energetic beings” rather than just biological machines

When it comes to metabolic psychiatry, mitochondria are a key player. This research is a huge step towards better understanding these tiny organelles and the role they play in mental health and cognitive function.

Expert Featured:

Dr. Martin Picard

x.com/MitoPsychoBio

picardlab.org

Resources Mentioned:

Three Ways to Keep Your Mitochondria Healthy

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3dhmMcj17w&t=159s

A human brain map of mitochondrial respiratory capacity and diversity

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08740-6

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

The first-ever clinical trial of ketogenic therapy for pediatric bipolar disorder is now enrolling.

In March, we announced two new initiatives funded by the Baszucki Group aiming to explore ketogenic metabolic therapy in pediatric bipolar patients.

The first major initiative—now actively enrolling participants—is a multi-site clinical trial conducted by four institutions within the Baszucki Group-funded Child and Adolescent Bipolar Network (CABIN): the UCLA Semel Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

In this video, Dr. David Miklowitz, a renowned expert in adolescent bipolar disorder and the study’s lead investigator, joins Dr. Bret Scher to discuss the new trial.

As a Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute and Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Oxford University, Dr. Miklowitz brings decades of insight to the discussion. Together, they explore the design and objectives of this groundbreaking study and share how families in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Denver, and Pittsburgh can take part in this important research effort aimed at transforming outcomes for young people living with bipolar disorder.

In this interview you’ll learn:

✅ The challenges of diagnosing bipolar disorder in kids and teens

✅ How family involvement impacts long-term outcomes

✅ Why standard treatment approaches may not always work for adolescents

✅ The potential benefits of ketogenic therapy as an adjunctive treatment

For those interested in enrolling in the study, visit the link below to learn more about the study, the participant criteria, and how to enroll!

• https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06920940?term=miklowitz&rank=1

Expert Featured:

Dr. David Miklowitz

https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/david-miklowitz

Resources Mentioned:

• Living Well with Bipolar Disorder by Dr. David Miklowitz

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Could ketogenic therapy change the future of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment?

The CDC estimates that 1 in 36 children are affected by ASD but due to the wide variety of signs and symptoms associated, it’s likely that this doesn’t account for everyone impacted. And treatment options are scarce and vary in effectiveness.

In this video, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Eline Dekeyster, Assistant Professor at Leiden University and Head of the Lifestyle Brain Interaction research group, to explore how nutritional ketosis may support individuals with autism and other brain-based conditions.

Dr. Dekeyster brings a rare blend of personal insight and scientific expertise. She opens up about her own experience with mood disorders and how ketosis helped shift her mental energy, leading her to dedicate her research to metabolic psychiatry.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The early but promising evidence supporting ketogenic therapy in autism spectrum disorder
• The metabolic and neurological mechanisms involved
• A real-life case of a child with ASD whose symptoms improved on a ketogenic diet and the troubling response from the medical system
• The challenges and strategies around adherence to ketogenic interventions in neurodivergent populations
• Dr. Dekeyster’s vision for a collaborative, individualized care model that includes dietary, medical, and emotional support

While more research is needed to fully understand the impact of nutritional therapies for autism spectrum disorder, ketogenic therapy may offer meaningful hope to individuals and families navigating the challenges of ASD today.

Expert Featured:

Dr. Eline Dekeyster

https://www.instagram.com/lbi.research/

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

There’s been a lot of buzz—and confusion—about the new Keto-CTA study, examining plaque progression in Lean Mass Hyper-Responders (LMHRs).

Much of the social media debate has centered on whether high LDL on keto is safe or dangerous, driven largely by how to interpret the supplemental table comparing this study to others on LDL and plaque progression.

In this episode of the Metabolic Mind Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Matthew Budoff, a world-renowned cardiologist, cardiac CT researcher, and the study's lead investigator, to discuss the the supplemental table, what the plaque markers mean, and how this fits into the discussion of high- vs -low-risk plaque progression.

In this episode, we cover:

✅ What PAV (Percent Atheroma Volume) is, what it actually measures, and why it matters

✅ Why a 50% increase in plaque may sound scary, but can be deceiving

✅ The difference between “treatment-naive” and “treated” participants

✅ What the Miami Heart Study comparison reveals about keto, LDL, and plaque

✅ Why LDL alone may not tell the whole story about heart disease risk

✅ How some high-risk individuals may still benefit from statins and other therapies

This study doesn’t answer whether keto causes heart disease or not. Instead, it shows that high LDL on a ketogenic diet is not a reliable predictor of plaque progression across all individuals. What is predictive? The presence of existing plaque.

💡 Key takeaway: Relying on surrogate markers of heart disease, like LDL and ApoB, is not the best way to assess heart disease risk in all populations.

If you're concerned about how elevated LDL may be affecting your heart health, the best next step is to speak with your doctor about cardiac imaging to directly assess plaque and gain a clearer picture of your individual risk.

Expert Featured:

• Dr. Matthew Budoff
• X: https://x.com/budoffmd?lang=en
• https://lundquist.org/matthew-budoff-md

Resources Mentioned:

Plaque Begets Plaque, ApoB Does Not

• https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101686

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is LDL cholesterol the best way to measure and predict heart disease?

New research suggests no!

Dave Feldman is an engineer turned citizen scientist who has devoted his life to understanding a phenomenon that some individuals around the world are experiencing: a robust increase in LDL cholesterol while on a ketogenic diet.

Dave’s past research has identified a unique phenotype dubbed Lean Mass Hyper-Responders (LMHRs). LMHRs respond to ketogenic therapy with a metabolic profile that includes elevated LDL-C and ApoB levels with otherwise healthy metabolic markers, including low triglycerides, high HDL, low blood pressure, low insulin resistance, and low BMI.

In Dave’s most recent publication, what most doctors would consider dangerously high LDL levels in LMHRs did not correlate with an increased risk of heart disease.

In this video, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dave Feldman to discuss this groundbreaking study and its implications for ketogenic therapy and cardiology.

Key Takeaways:

• LMHRs on a long-term ketogenic diet who show elevated LDL can show robust metabolic health
• LDL-C and ApoB were not linked to plaque progression in LMHRs
• Existing plaque did predict future plaque accumulation in LMHRs
• Individualized approaches to cardiovascular risk assessment are crucial to serve this group better.

🎬 These exciting new findings are featured in Dave Feldman and Jen Isenhart’s upcoming documentary, The Cholesterol Code, the story of how one engineer’s health experiment sparks a global investigation, exposing myths about cholesterol and reshaping our understanding of heart health. Real stories of healing from disease with ketogenic diets provide a blueprint for using food as powerful medicine.

Visit cholesterolcodemovie.com to learn more about the film and to be the first to hear about private screenings and the general release in the fall.

Expert Featured:

• Dave FeldmanCEO, Citizen Science Foundation

  https://x.com/realDaveFeldman

  Cholesterol Code website: https://cholesterolcode.com/

• Resources Mentioned:

  Coronary Artery Plaque Progression in Asymptomatic Lean Mass Hyper-Responders: A Case Series

  • https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101686

  CMEs Mentioned:

  Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

  • https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

  Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

  • https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

  Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

  Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

  About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

  Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.