Updated project metadata. Neurodegeneration in mitochondrial disorders is considered irreversible because of limited metabolic plasticity in neurons, yet the cell-autonomous implications of mitochondrial dysfunction for neuronal metabolism in vivo are poorly understood. Here, we profiled the cell-specific proteome of Purkinje neurons undergoing progressive OXPHOS deficiency caused by disrupted mitochondria fusion dynamics. We found that mitochondrial dysfunction triggers a profound rewiring of the proteomic landscape culminating in the sequential activation of precise metabolic programs preceding cell death. Surprisingly, we identified a marked induction of pyruvate carboxylase (PCx) and other key anaplerotic enzymes involved in replenishing intermediates into the TCA cycle. Suppression of PCx aggravated neurodegeneration, showing that anaplerosis is protective in OXPHOS-deficient neurons. Restoration of mitochondrial fusion in end-stage degenerating neurons fully reversed these metabolic hallmarks thereby preventing cell death. Our findings identify a previously unappreciated pathway conferring resilience to mitochondrial dysfunction and show that neurodegeneration can be reversed even at advanced disease stages.