Nature Metabolism, Published online: 11 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s42255-025-01448-xCalcium entry into mitochondria couples neuronal activity to energy supply, but whether boosting this drive can enhance brain function has remained unclear. Vishwanath et al. now demonstrate that tuning mitochondrial calcium extrusion enhances ATP production and improves cognitive performance in flies and mice, paving the way for a new paradigm of systems neurometabolism.
