ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2019
Acute psychological stress increases serum circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04078035 (Transduction of Psychological Stress Into Systematic Inflammation by Mitochondrial DNA Signaling), which is not on this map. Cited by 80 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Transduction of Psychological Stress Into Systematic Inflammation by Mitochondrial DNA Signaling
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 150 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stress and circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA: A systematic review of human studies, physiological considerations, and technical recommendations.Mitochondrion · 2021Pooled it
- Brain mitochondria as key drivers of cognition and behaviour.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- Saliva cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) response during physical and cognitive stress.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Psychiatric Disorders: Current Evidence, Inflammation-Based Stratification, and Future Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in PTSD: A mechanism to understand trauma susceptibility?Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Saliva cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) as a dynamic biomarker of stress and emotion in daily life: Evidence from two independent repeated-measures studies.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction: The Cellular Bridge from Emotional Stress to Disease Onset: A Narrative Review.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Molecular pathways linking chronic psychological stress to accelerated aging: mechanisms and interventions.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- NETosis-Related Biomarkers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Comparative Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Effects of acute psychological stress on blood cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA): A crossover experimental study.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Diurnal dynamics and psychobiological regulation of cell-free mitochondrial and nuclear DNA in human saliva.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial health, prenatal distress, and gestational age: investigation of cf-mtDNA and GDF15 in two pregnancy studies from the USA and Turkey.Mitochondrion · 2025Article
- Saliva and blood cell-free mtDNA reactivity to acute psychosocial stress.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Ionizing radiation triggers the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol as a signal of mitochondrial damage.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Methodological influences on circulating cell-free-mitochondrial and nuclear DNA concentrations in response to chronic stress.Molecular biology reports · 2025Article
- Increased Rate of Unique Mitochondrial DNA Deletion Breakpoints in Young Adults With Early-Life Stress.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2025Article
- Liquid Biopsy in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Step Closer to Precision Medicine.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Non-pharmacological therapeutic paradigms in stress-induced depression: from novel therapeutic perspective with focus on cell-based strategies.Acta neuropsychiatrica · 2025Review
- Cell-free DNA release following psychosocial and physical stress in women and men.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Chronic corticosterone administration alters synaptic mitochondrial function within the hippocampus of C57Bl/6NTac mice.Physiology & behavior · 2024Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Intrinsic biological mechanisms transduce psychological stress into physiological adaptation that requires energy, but the role of mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in this process has not been defined in humans. Here, we show that similar to physical injury, exposure to psychological stress increases serum circulating cell-free mtDNA (ccf-mtDNA) levels. Healthy midlife adults exposed on two separate occasions to a brief psychological challenge exhibited a 2-3-fold increase in ccf-mtDNA, with no change in ccf-nuclear DNA levels, establishing the magnitude and specificity for ccf-mtDNA reactivity. In cell-based studies, we show that glucocorticoid signaling - a consequence of psychological stress in humans - is sufficient to induce mtDNA extrusion in a time frame consistent with stress-induced ccf-mtDNA increase. Collectively, these findings provide evidence that acute psychological stress induces ccf-mtDNA and implicate neuroendocrine signaling as a potential trigger for ccf-mtDNA release. Further controlled work is needed to confirm that observed increases in ccf-mtDNA result from stress exposure and to determine the functional significance of this effect.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.