What Is Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy?

Touchpoints180® Expert Answer

What Is Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy?

Touchpoints180® Expert Answer

What Is Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy?

Last Updated: May 2026

Author:  Lori Calabrese, MD


What Is Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy?

Quick Answer

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy (KMT) is a therapeutic strategy that uses nutritional ketosis to influence biological processes throughout the brain and body.

Unlike popular forms of “keto” often used for weight loss, KMT is designed to create a metabolic environment that may support brain function, cellular energy production, biological signaling, metabolic health, and physiological resilience.

In nutritional ketosis, the body produces ketones that can be used by the brain and other tissues as an alternative energy source. Yet KMT is not simply about producing ketones or changing what a person eats. It is an effort to influence the biological conditions under which cells produce energy, communicate, adapt, and function.

Ketones also participate in biological signaling and may influence processes related to inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neuroplasticity, metabolic flexibility, and cellular adaptation.

KMT is being studied across neurological, psychiatric, metabolic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and age-related conditions, including epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, migraine, cognitive decline, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions involving metabolic dysfunction.

Within the Touchpoints180® framework, Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is one potential tool for influencing the biological systems that contribute to Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

Key Takeaways

• Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy (KMT) uses nutritional ketosis as a therapeutic intervention rather than as a weight-loss strategy.

• KMT is designed to influence biological systems involved in energy production, cellular signaling, inflammation, insulin regulation, neuroplasticity, and metabolic health.

• Nutritional ketosis occurs when the body produces ketones that can serve as an alternative fuel source for the brain and body.

• Researchers are increasingly studying KMT across neurological, psychiatric, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disorders.

• KMT is not simply about carbohydrates, calories, or weight. It is about influencing biology.

• The therapeutic effects of KMT may extend beyond energy production and include changes in cellular signaling, mitochondrial function, inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic flexibility.

• Not everyone responds to KMT in the same way. Individual biology, health status, goals, and circumstances matter.

• Within Touchpoints180®, KMT is viewed as one potential tool within a broader framework of Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

The Deeper Explanation

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy begins with a simple observation: the brain and body require a continuous supply of energy to function.

Every thought, memory, emotion, movement, and physiological process depends upon cells having access to usable fuel. Glucose has traditionally received most of the attention because it is a major energy source for many tissues throughout the body.

Human biology, however, has another metabolic capability.

During fasting, food scarcity, prolonged physical exertion, or significant carbohydrate restriction, the liver produces molecules known as ketones. These ketones can be used by many tissues, including the brain, as an alternative source of energy. This metabolic state is known as nutritional ketosis.

For decades, nutritional ketosis was viewed largely through the lens of epilepsy treatment or as an unusual metabolic state that occurred during fasting. Over time, scientific interest expanded as researchers recognized that ketosis influences far more than energy production alone.

Ketones participate in biological signaling. They influence gene expression, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neurotransmitter activity, metabolic flexibility, and cellular adaptation.

That realization changed the question.

Instead of asking only whether ketones could provide fuel, scientists began asking whether nutritional ketosis could be used intentionally to influence biological systems involved in health and disease.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy emerged from that broader question. It views ketosis not merely as a metabolic state, but as a therapeutic strategy designed to influence the biological conditions that support how cells produce energy, communicate, adapt, and function.

Why Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Exists

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy did not emerge from the search for a better weight-loss diet. It emerged from a growing recognition that metabolism influences health in ways that extend throughout the brain and body.

Across many neurological, psychiatric, metabolic, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative conditions, researchers began encountering overlapping biological themes: insulin resistance, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, impaired metabolic flexibility, hormonal dysregulation, and altered cellular signaling.

Nutritional ketosis appeared to influence many of these same processes.

That overlap raised an important possibility: a therapeutic intervention capable of changing metabolism might also influence some of the biological systems contributing to health, symptoms, resilience, and disease.

KMT therefore aims beyond a single symptom or pathway. It seeks to influence the broader biological environment in which cells function, communicate, adapt, and respond to changing demands.

For people seeking relief, this does not make symptoms less important. It makes them more informative. Symptoms may be the first visible sign that biological systems are under strain. KMT offers one possible way of exploring whether changing the metabolic environment can support more effective energy production, cellular communication, resilience, and overall function.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Is About More Than Ketones

Ketones are often the most visible aspect of Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy because they can be measured directly. Yet much of the scientific interest surrounding KMT stems from what ketones do rather than simply their presence in the bloodstream.

In addition to serving as an alternative fuel source, ketones participate in biological signaling. They influence pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neuroplasticity, neurotransmitter regulation, metabolic flexibility, vascular health, and cellular adaptation.

Because these processes extend throughout the brain and body, the effects of nutritional ketosis may reach far beyond energy production alone.

This broader biological influence helps explain why Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy has attracted attention across such a wide range of conditions and why interest in KMT continues to grow among researchers studying metabolism, brain health, aging, and human performance.

Within the Touchpoints180® framework, ketones are important not simply because they provide fuel, but because they offer insight into how metabolism may influence the biological systems that support health, resilience, cognition, and function.

Therapeutic Nutritional Ketosis and Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, therapeutic nutritional ketosis and Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy describe different concepts.

Therapeutic nutritional ketosis refers to a measurable metabolic state in which circulating ketones rise above baseline and become available as an alternative fuel source.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy refers to the intentional use of that metabolic state within a broader therapeutic framework.

A person may enter ketosis through fasting, prolonged exercise, illness, or dietary change. Yet ketosis alone does not necessarily constitute Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy.

KMT involves the deliberate application of nutritional ketosis in a way that considers the larger biological context. Depending upon the individual and the goals being pursued, this may include attention to sleep, circadian biology, stress physiology, body composition, physical activity, nutrient status, metabolic health, and other factors that influence how the brain and body function.

Put simply, ketosis is the metabolic state.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is the therapeutic strategy.

Beyond Ketones: Looking Beneath the Surface

Most people do not become interested in Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy because they want higher ketone levels.

They become interested because they want relief.

They want to think more clearly, feel better, improve their health, regain function, reduce suffering, and restore a quality of life that may have been slipping away.

Ketones become relevant because they provide one window into a broader shift in metabolism—one that may influence the biological systems contributing to symptoms, resilience, and function.

Scientists became interested in ketones because of what they may reveal about biology.

Patients become interested in Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy because they want their lives to improve.

These perspectives are not in conflict. They are different ways of looking at the same question.

How do the biological systems influencing health function, and can they be influenced in meaningful ways?

Symptoms often bring people to the conversation. Biology helps explain why the conversation may be worth having. Understanding that biology creates opportunities to take meaningful action—and, in some cases, to influence the trajectory of future health.

Brain Energy, Neuroplasticity, and Biological Signaling

Much of the scientific interest surrounding Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy stems from observations that extend beyond energy production alone.

For many years, discussions about ketosis focused primarily on fuel. Ketones were viewed as an alternative energy source capable of supporting the brain when glucose availability was reduced.

That remains true.

Yet ketones do more than provide fuel.

They participate in biological signaling and influence pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neurotransmitter regulation, gene expression, and cellular adaptation. These effects occur throughout the brain and body and help shape how biological systems communicate and respond to changing demands.

Particular attention has been directed toward neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to learn, adapt, reorganize, recover, and form new connections throughout life.

Neuroplasticity plays a central role in learning, memory, emotional regulation, resilience, recovery, and healthy aging. Although often discussed in psychological terms, it is fundamentally biological. The brain’s capacity to adapt depends upon the health of the systems that support cellular communication, energy production, and adaptation.

This helps explain why Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is being studied across such a wide range of conditions. The interest extends beyond fuel availability alone and into broader questions about how metabolism may influence adaptation, resilience, function, and long-term brain health.

Within the Touchpoints180® framework, these questions are especially compelling because they point toward a larger possibility: that the biological systems supporting brain function remain responsive throughout life. Understanding how those systems operate—and how they may respond to change—creates opportunities to support cognition, function, resilience, and future well-being.

Why Some People Respond Differently

Human biology is remarkably individual.

Two people may pursue the same therapeutic strategy and experience very different outcomes. One person may notice meaningful improvements in energy, cognition, mood, metabolic health, or resilience. Another may experience more modest changes. A third may discover that a different approach is needed altogether.

This variability is not surprising.

Each person arrives with a unique biological history shaped by genetics, development, metabolism, sleep, hormones, immune function, stress exposure, medications, environmental influences, lifestyle factors, and existing health conditions. The biological systems influencing health do not begin in the same place, nor do they respond identically to change.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy operates within this complexity.

For some individuals, KMT may influence biological systems that are closely related to their symptoms, health concerns, or goals. For others, different factors may play a larger role. In many cases, KMT becomes one component of a broader strategy designed to support health, resilience, function, and quality of life.

Increasingly, medicine is moving away from the search for universal solutions and toward a deeper appreciation of biological individuality. The question is becoming less about whether a particular intervention works for everyone and more about understanding who may benefit, under what circumstances, and why.

Within the Touchpoints180® framework, that distinction is particularly relevant. The goal is not to persuade everyone to pursue Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy. The goal is to better understand the biological systems influencing health and identify which opportunities for change may be most relevant for a particular individual.

Viewed through that lens, KMT is not a solution for every problem. It is one potential way of influencing biology.

And understanding biology creates options.

Areas of Growing Scientific Interest

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is currently being studied across a wide range of neurological, psychiatric, metabolic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and age-related conditions.

Although the evidence varies considerably among conditions, several broad themes continue to emerge throughout the scientific literature.

Brain Health, Mental Health and Neurological Disorders

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is being investigated across a growing range of conditions including epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, autism spectrum disorders, migraine, traumatic brain injury, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological disorders.

At first glance, these conditions may appear unrelated. Yet many involve biological processes that have become central areas of investigation within metabolic medicine, including energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neuroplasticity, neurotransmitter regulation, brain network activity, gut-brain communication, and cellular signaling throughout the brain and body.

Attention has increasingly turned toward how metabolism influences not only how the brain produces energy, but also how biological systems communicate, adapt, regulate, recover, and function over time. Across neuroscience, there is growing recognition that brain health emerges from the continuous interaction of multiple biological systems rather than any single pathway alone.

For this reason, Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is being studied not simply because it produces ketones, but because it may influence biological processes that contribute to resilience, adaptation, cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall brain health.

Metabolic Health

KMT is also being studied in obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, and other conditions characterized by metabolic dysfunction.

These investigations often focus on insulin signaling, metabolic flexibility, body composition, inflammation, cardiovascular risk factors, and long-term metabolic health.

Inflammation and Immune Function

Immune signaling and inflammation influence health throughout the brain and body.

As a result, KMT is being investigated in a variety of inflammatory and immune-mediated conditions. Areas of interest include inflammatory signaling pathways, oxidative stress, mitochondrial biology, and the complex interactions among metabolism, immunity, and cellular adaptation.

Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Conditions

The relationship between metabolism and immune regulation has become an increasingly active area of investigation.

Researchers continue exploring how metabolic interventions may influence conditions characterized by immune dysregulation, neuroinflammation, and altered immune signaling. Although many questions remain unanswered, this area represents one of the most rapidly evolving frontiers in metabolic medicine.

Healthy Aging, Cognitive Longevity, and Long-Term Function

Interest in Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy extends beyond the treatment of disease alone.

Researchers are increasingly investigating how metabolism influences healthy aging, cognitive longevity, physical function, resilience, and quality of life across the lifespan.

A broader view of health is emerging throughout medicine. Increasingly, the goal is not simply to manage disease once it appears, but to better understand the biological systems that influence how people think, function, adapt, and age.

This expands beyond energy to how biological systems communicate, adapt, regulate, recover and function as we age. Much of the recent research focuses on processes that become increasingly relevant over time, including insulin signaling, mitochondrial function, inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular health, metabolic flexibility, cellular resilience, and biological communication throughout the brain and body.

For many people, this is one of the most compelling aspects of metabolic medicine. Biology is not static. The systems influencing health remain responsive throughout the lifespan. Understanding how to influence those systems may create opportunities to preserve and optimize function, strengthen resilience, support cognitive and physical performance, and improve long-term quality of life.

What We Commonly See at Touchpoints180®

Most people do not arrive at Touchpoints180® because they are interested in ketones.

They arrive because something no longer feels right.

For some, the concerns are primarily cognitive. They describe brain fog, declining concentration, forgetfulness, reduced mental clarity, difficulty learning new information, or a growing sense that their thinking is no longer as sharp as it once was.

Others arrive because of mood-related challenges. Depression, anxiety, emotional instability, irritability, fast thoughts, trauma, substance misuse, diminished resilience, or a growing sense that life’s demands have become harder to navigate than they once were.

Some are struggling with metabolic health. Weight gain, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, fatigue, or declining physical function may be affecting both health and quality of life.

Others are searching for answers related to inflammation, immune dysregulation, autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, migraine, neurological symptoms, or persistent health concerns that seem resistant to conventional approaches.

Increasingly, we meet individuals whose primary concern is neither psychiatric nor metabolic. They are simply trying to preserve function. They want to remain cognitively sharp, physically capable, resilient, independent, and engaged in life for as long as possible.

On the surface, these concerns may appear unrelated. Yet many people describe the same underlying experience: the sense that something has changed, but no one has been able to explain how the pieces fit together.

Fatigue may appear alongside cognitive changes. Mood symptoms may worsen as sleep deteriorates. Inflammatory symptoms may coexist with declining energy, worsening concentration, or metabolic dysfunction. Over time, many people begin to notice that challenges they once viewed as separate seem increasingly connected.

A person who once felt capable, adaptable, and healthy may begin to feel as though their brain and body are operating according to different sets of instructions.

Within the Touchpoints180® framework, these experiences often become easier to understand when viewed through the lens of interconnected biological systems rather than isolated symptoms or diagnoses.  

For many people, that realization brings a sense of coherence.

The symptoms may not have changed, but the story begins to make more sense.

And when people begin to understand the systems influencing their health, they are often better positioned to take meaningful action.

What Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Does Not Mean

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is frequently misunderstood, in part because the word “ketogenic” has become associated with diet culture, weight-loss programs, social media trends, and highly polarized discussions about nutrition.

KMT is not a belief system, a food philosophy, or an identity.

It does not require viewing carbohydrates as inherently harmful, nor does it assume that one nutritional strategy is appropriate for every individual.

It is not an argument against medications, psychotherapy, surgery, rehabilitation, conventional medical care, or other evidence-based interventions. Depending on the individual and the circumstances, these approaches may remain essential components of treatment and recovery.

KMT also does not assume that every health challenge is metabolic in origin or that metabolism alone explains the complexity of human health. Human beings are shaped by biology, psychology, relationships, environment, culture, purpose, meaning, and lived experience. All of these influences matter.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy also should not be confused with simply following a popular “keto diet.” Nutritional ketosis can be achieved in many different ways, but Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy involves the intentional use of ketosis within a broader framework designed to influence biological systems that contribute to health and function.

Perhaps the most common misconception is that KMT is about chasing ketone numbers.

Biomarkers can provide useful information, but numbers alone do not define success. A ketone level, glucose value, laboratory result, or dietary pattern tells only part of the story.

What ultimately matters is whether a person is thinking more clearly, functioning more effectively, suffering less, becoming more resilient, preserving capacity, and moving toward the life they hope to live.

Understanding this distinction helps explain why Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy continues to attract growing scientific interest. The field is not fundamentally about food. It is about biology.

How Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Fits Within Metabolic Brain and Body Health

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is best understood as one application of the broader principles of Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

Metabolic Brain and Body Health begins with the recognition that the brain and body do not function as separate entities. Energy production, metabolism, sleep, inflammation, immune function, hormonal signaling, vascular health, nutrition, movement, stress physiology, social connection, purpose, and many other influences interact continuously throughout life.

Viewed through this lens, symptoms rarely exist in isolation. Changes in one system often influence many others. Sleep may affect mood. Metabolism may influence cognition. Inflammation may affect resilience. Hormonal transitions may alter emotional regulation, energy, and physical function.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy represents one potential way of influencing this larger biological landscape.

Much of the interest in KMT extends beyond ketones themselves. Ketosis appears capable of affecting processes related to energy production, mitochondrial function, neuroplasticity, inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic flexibility, cellular signaling, and adaptation. These are many of the same biological processes that appear repeatedly throughout discussions of Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

For this reason, KMT is not an endpoint within the Touchpoints180® framework. It is one potential tool among many.

Some individuals may benefit substantially from this approach. Others may require different strategies. In many cases, KMT becomes one component of a broader effort to improve health, preserve function, strengthen resilience, and support long-term well-being.

The larger objective remains unchanged: helping people better understand the biological systems influencing their health and identifying meaningful opportunities to improve function, expand capacity, and influence the trajectory of their future well-being.

The Touchpoints180® Perspective

At Touchpoints180®, Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy is viewed through a broader lens than nutrition alone.

People rarely seek KMT because they want higher ketone levels. They seek it because they want relief from symptoms, improved health, greater resilience, better cognitive function, enhanced quality of life, or the opportunity to influence the course of their future health.

Ketones become relevant because they provide insight into something larger: the biological systems that influence how people think, feel, function, adapt, recover, and age.

For this reason, Touchpoints180® does not view Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a diet, a food philosophy, or a collection of nutritional rules. It is one potential strategy for influencing metabolism and the broader biological processes that contribute to health throughout the brain and body.

Rather than focusing exclusively on symptoms, diagnoses, or biomarkers, we become interested in understanding the systems influencing those outcomes. Symptoms remain important because they affect people’s lives. Biomarkers remain important because they provide valuable information. Yet neither tells the entire story.

The larger opportunity lies in understanding how biological systems interact and identifying meaningful opportunities to influence them.

For many individuals, that shift in perspective can be transformative. Symptoms that once seemed random begin to make more sense. Biology becomes something to understand rather than fear. New possibilities emerge where hopelessness or uncertainty may once have existed.

Ketosis, laboratory values, and biomarkers all have their place. They can provide useful information and help guide decision-making. But they are not the destination.

What ultimately matters is whether a person is thinking more clearly, functioning more effectively, becoming more resilient, preserving capacity, improving quality of life, and moving toward the future they hope to create.

Closing Thoughts

Most people do not begin exploring Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy because they are interested in ketones or metabolism.

They begin because something in their life has changed.

They are no longer thinking as clearly as they once did. Their energy has become less reliable. Symptoms persist despite sincere efforts to address them. Resilience narrows. Function declines. Quality of life begins to suffer.

Over time, many people find themselves asking the same question:

Why is this happening?

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy has attracted growing scientific interest because it offers one possible way of exploring that question through the lens of biology.

Not because ketones are magical. Or because metabolism explains everything.

But because metabolism influences many of the biological systems that help determine how we think, feel, function, adapt, recover, and age.

For some people, KMT may become a meaningful part of their health journey. For others, different approaches may prove more helpful. What remains valuable regardless of the path chosen is the recognition that biology is often more dynamic than it appears.

The systems influencing health are not fixed. They respond continuously to the conditions in which they operate.

Understanding those systems does not eliminate uncertainty. It does not guarantee outcomes. It does, however, create the possibility of seeing health through a different lens.

Symptoms become more than isolated problems to suppress. They become clues.

Biology becomes something to understand rather than fear.

And understanding becomes the foundation for identifying meaningful opportunities to improve health, strengthen resilience, preserve function, enhance quality of life, and influence the trajectory of the future.

For many individuals, that is where hope begins.

Related Questions

  • What Is Metabolic Brain and Body Health?
  • What Are Ketones?
  • What Is Nutritional Ketosis?
  • What Is Brain Energy?
  • What Is Insulin Resistance?
  • What Is Neuroinflammation?
  • What Is Metabolic Flexibility?
  • What Is the Gut-Brain Axis?
  • Can Metabolism Influence Mental Health?

About Lori Calabrese, MD

Lori Calabrese, MD, is a physician leader in metabolic psychiatry, metabolic health, and brain health. She trained at Johns Hopkins and Harvard and served on the faculties of both Harvard Medical School and Yale School of Medicine. She is the founder of Touchpoints180®, a physician-led educational and health transformation ecosystem focused on metabolic brain and body health. Dr. Calabrese is a Nutrition Network Certified Medical Practitioner (summa cum laude), SMHP Certified Practitioner, ReCODE 2.0 Certified Practitioner, physician-educator, speaker, and advocate dedicated to advancing the understanding of how metabolism influences mental, cognitive, and physical well-being.


About Touchpoints180®

Touchpoints180® is a physician-led educational and health transformation ecosystem built around the principles of Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

By integrating education, mentorship, and systems-based health optimization, it helps individuals understand how the biological systems shaping resilience, cognition, mood, metabolism, and long-term well-being interact. That understanding helps people identify what truly moves the needle, make more informed decisions about their health, and take meaningful action that can change the trajectory of their lives.


Educational Disclaimer

This content is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not be considered medical advice and does not replace individualized medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Decisions regarding medical care should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional familiar with your specific circumstances.

The references below are provided for readers who wish to explore the scientific literature supporting the concepts discussed in this Expert Answer.

Medically Reviewed by Lori Calabrese, MD

Last reviewed: June 2026

References

The references below are grouped by topic to help readers explore specific areas of interest related to Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy.

Foundational Metabolism / Brain Energy

  1. Rae CD, Baur JA, Borges K, Dienel G, Díaz-García CM, Douglass SR, et al. Brain energy metabolism: A roadmap for future research. J Neurochem. 2024;168(5):910-954. PMID: 38183680. doi:10.1111/jnc.16032.

Metabolism and Mental Health

  1. Freyberg Z, Ford JM, Phillips ML. Metabolism matters in mental health. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2025;10(3):239-240. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.12.009. PMID: 40054983.
  2. Andreazza AC, Barros LF, Behnke A, Ben-Shachar D, Berretta S, Chouinard V, et al. Brain and body energy metabolism and potential for treatment of psychiatric disorders. Nat Ment Health. 2025;3(7):763-771. doi:10.1038/s44220-025-00422-6.
  3. Kelly C, Trumpff C, Acosta C, Assuras S, Baker J, Basarrate S, et al. MiSBIE Study Group. A platform to map the mind-mitochondria connection and the hallmarks of psychobiology: the MiSBIE study. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024;35(10):884-901. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.08.006. PMID: 39389809

Mitochondria / Neuroplasticity / Biological Signaling

  1. Papageorgiou MP, Filiou MD. Mitochondrial dynamics and psychiatric disorders: The missing link. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2024;165:105837. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105837. PMID: 39089419.
  2. Chioino A, Sandi C. The emerging role of brain mitochondria in fear and anxiety. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2025;73:33-54. doi: 10.1007/7854_2024_537. PMID: 39505817.
  3. Seo M, Pyeon SY, Kim MS. Molecular links between metabolism and mental health: integrative pathways from GDF15-mediated stress signaling to brain energy homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(15):7611. doi: 10.3390/ijms26157611. PMID: 40806735.

Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy / Ketosis

  1. Norwitz NG, Sethi S, Palmer CM. Ketogenic diet as a metabolic treatment for mental illness. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2020;27(5):269-274. doi: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000564. PMID: 32773571.
  2. Palmer CM. The ketogenic diet and metabolic treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. BJPsych Open. 2025;11(3):e94. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2025.50. PMID: 40340986.

Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric Disorders

  1. Pinto Payares DV, Spooner L, Vosters J, Dominguez S, Patrick L, Harris A,  et al. A systematic review on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction/disorders in neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric/behavioral disorders. Front Psychiatry. 2024;15:1389093. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1389093. PMID: 39006821.
  2. Ni P, Ma Y, Chung S. Mitochondrial dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. Schizophr Res. 2024 Nov;273:62-77. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.08.027. PMID: 36175250.

Healthy Aging and Cognitive Longevity

  1. Na D, Zhang Z, Meng M, Li M, Gao J, Kong J, et al.  Energy metabolism and brain aging: strategies to delay neuronal degeneration. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2025 Apr 21;45(1):38. doi: 10.1007/s10571-025-01555-z. PMID: 40259102.
  2. Giménez-Palomo A, Andreu H, de Juan O, Olivier L, Ochandiano I, Ilzarbe L, et al. Mitochondrial dysfunction as a biomarker of illness state in bipolar disorder: a critical review. Brain Sci. 2024;14(12):1199. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14121199. PMID: 39766398.

Metabolism and Psychiatric Disorders

  1. Cannon A, Jacoby C, Hughes AS. Mind in metabolism –  A comprehensive literature review on diabetes and its connections to obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Curr Diab Rep. 2024;25(1):10. doi: 10.1007/s11892-024-01564-0. PMID: 39652222.

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Lori Calabrese, M.D.

Dr. Calabrese is a board-certified psychiatrist and metabolic medicine physician with over two decades of clinical experience. Her work sits at the intersection of brain health, metabolism, and patient education — helping individuals understand the biological roots of how they think, feel, and function. She is the founder of Touchpoints180 and author of Toxic Roots, a physician’s guide to understanding the metabolic underpinnings of mental illness.

About Touchpoints180

Touchpoints180® is a physician-led educational and health transformation ecosystem built around the principles of Metabolic Brain and Body Health.

By integrating education, mentorship, and systems-based health optimization, it helps individuals understand how the biological systems shaping resilience, cognition, mood, metabolism, and long-term well-being interact. That understanding helps people identify what truly moves the needle, make more informed decisions about their health, and take meaningful action that can change the trajectory of their lives.

Educational Disclaimer

Medically Reviewed by Lori Calabrese, MD

This content is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not be considered medical advice and does not replace individualized medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Decisions regarding medical care should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional familiar with your specific circumstances.

The references below are provided for readers who wish to explore the scientific literature supporting the concepts discussed in this Expert Answer.

Last Updated: June 2026

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