SynthesisMitochondrion2021
Stress and circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA: A systematic review of human studies, physiological considerations, and technical recommendations.
Synthesis in Mitochondrion, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07261111 (Effect of Subtle Energy Transmission and Tao Calligraphy Mindfulness Practice on Mitochondrial DNA), which is not on this map. Cited by 114 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Effect of Subtle Energy Transmission and Tao Calligraphy Mindfulness Practice on Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes
Who cites it
114 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blood circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Whole blood mitochondrial copy number in clinical populations with mood disorders: A meta-analysis: Blood mitochondrial copy number and mood disorders.Psychiatry research · 2024Pooled it
- Circulating Cell-Free DNA Levels in Psychiatric Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Exercise intensity and training alter the innate immune cell type and chromosomal origins of circulating cell-free DNA in humans.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Trial
- Mechanistic reprogramming of the mtDNA-cGAS-STING axis in cellular senescence: from mitochondrial homeostatic disruption to inflammatory and immune outcomes.Biogerontology · 2026Review
- Fetal sex shapes placental inflammatory responses to extracellular mitochondrial DNA.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Saliva cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) response during physical and cognitive stress.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Circulating Blood Cells and Biological Aging: A Review of Mechanisms and Evidence.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial cardiomyopathy: bridging molecular mechanisms and clinical frontiers.Nature reviews. Cardiology · 2026Review
- Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Psychiatric Disorders: Current Evidence, Inflammation-Based Stratification, and Future Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial DNA release and inflammation in mitochondrial disease pathogenesis.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2026Review
- Biological basis and clinical translation prospects of circulating cell-free DNA in precision management of breast cancer (Review).Oncology letters · 2026Review
- Translational Perspectives on Cell-Free Mitochondrial DNA as a Biomarker in Gynecological Cancers: Current Limitations and Future Research Directions.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in PTSD: A mechanism to understand trauma susceptibility?Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Acute exposure to cell-free mitochondrial DNA induces pregnancy-specific aortic endothelial dysfunction and organ-selective inflammation in rats.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Cardiomyocyte derived extracellular mitochondria in activation of macrophages during oxidative stress.Cardiovascular research · 2026Article
- 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
- A scoping study of the whole-cell imaging literature as a foundation for the emerging field of cell anatomy.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Host mitochondrial DNA in bacterial pathogenesis: Friend, Foe, or Both?Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- Beyond Decellularization: Remnant Mitochondrial DNA Can Act as Hidden Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
54 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 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) is a marker of inflammatory disease and a predictor of mortality, but little is known about cf-mtDNA in relation to psychobiology. A systematic review of the literature reveals that blood cf-mtDNA varies in response to common real-world stressors including psychopathology, acute psychological stress, and exercise. Moreover, cf-mtDNA is inducible within minutes and exhibits high intra-individual day-to-day variation, highlighting the dynamic regulation of cf-mtDNA levels. We discuss current knowledge on the mechanisms of cf-mtDNA release, its forms of transport ("cell-free" does not mean "membrane-free"), potential physiological functions, putative cellular and neuroendocrine triggers, and factors that may contribute to cf-mtDNA removal from the circulation. A review of in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical studies shows conflicting results around the dogma that physiological forms of cf-mtDNA are pro-inflammatory, opening the possibility of other physiological functions, including the cell-to-cell transfer of whole mitochondria. Finally, to enhance the reproducibility and biological interpretation of human cf-mtDNA research, we propose guidelines for blood collection, cf-mtDNA isolation, quantification, and reporting standards, which can promote concerted advances by the community. Defining the mechanistic basis for cf-mtDNA signaling is an opportunity to elucidate the role of mitochondria in brain-body interactions and psychopathology.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.