ReviewMitochondrion2021
Blood mitochondrial DNA copy number: What are we counting?
Review 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 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 106 papers, 6 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
Low-Dose Radiotherapy for Alzheimer's Disease: A Phase I/II Open-Label Feasibility and Safety Study (LDRT-MIND Trial)
Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as fluid biomarker in neurodegenerative disorders: A systematic review.European journal of neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Mitochondria: a breakthrough in combating rheumatoid arthritis.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled 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
- Association between mitochondrial DNA levels and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Prenatal Exposure to Potentially Toxic Metals and Their Effects on Genetic Material in Offspring: a Systematic Review.Biological trace element research · 2023Pooled it
- Human studies of mitochondrial biology demonstrate an overall lack of binary sex differences: A multivariate meta-analysis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2022Pooled it
- Acute Cannabis Administration Transiently Reduces Mitochondrial DNA in Young Adults: Findings from a Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2025Trial
- Preliminary insights into whole-blood mitochondrial DNA copy number and telomere length in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Article
- Brain mitochondria as key drivers of cognition and behaviour.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- Review
- Individual and joint association of maternal and cord blood mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy and copy number with preterm birth.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Reduced Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length in Essential Tremor Patients: Evidence from an Age- and Sex-Adjusted Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- A U-Shaped Association Between Blood mtDNA Copy Number and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes care · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in PTSD: A mechanism to understand trauma susceptibility?Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Evaluating the causal effect of mitochondrial dysfunction on Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease using polygenic risk scores and Mendelian randomization.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Adaptation of mtDNA content to endurance training, a cross-sectional study and an endurance training intervention.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Mammalian mitochondrial DNA accumulates insertions and deletions with age in energetically demanding tissues.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Immune Cell Mitochondrial Phenotypes Are Largely Preserved in Mitochondrial Diseases and Do Not Reflect Disease Severity.Neurology. Genetics · 2026Article
- Associations of Blood Mitochondrial DNA Quality and Quantity with Risk of Kidney Function Decline.Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2026Article
46 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
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
There is growing scientific interest to develop scalable biological measures that capture mitochondrial (dys)function. Mitochondria have their own genome, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). It has been proposed that the number of mtDNA copies per cell (mtDNA copy number; mtDNAcn) reflects mitochondrial health. The common availability of stored DNA material or existing DNA sequencing data, especially from blood and other easy-to-collect samples, has made its quantification a popular approach in clinical and epidemiological studies. However, the interpretation of mtDNAcn is not univocal, and either a reduction or elevation in mtDNAcn can indicate dysfunction. The major determinants of blood-derived mtDNAcn are the heterogeneous cell type composition of leukocytes and platelet abundance, which can change with time of day, aging, and with disease. Hematopoiesis is a likely driver of blood mtDNAcn. Here we discuss the rationale and available methods to quantify mtDNAcn, the influence of blood cell type variations, and consider important gaps in knowledge that need to be resolved to maximize the scientific value around the investigation of blood mtDNAcn.
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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.