Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number as a Potential Biomarker for the Severity of Motor Symptoms and Prognosis in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Mitochondrial function influences Parkinson's disease (PD) through the accumulation of pathogenic alpha-synuclein, oxidative stress, impaired autophagy, and neuroinflammation. The mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN), representing the number of mitochondrial DNA copies within a cell, serves as an easily assessable proxy for mitochondrial function.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of mtDNA-CN in PD.