Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number as a Marker and Mediator of Stroke Prognosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low buffy coat mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) is associated with incident risk of stroke and poststroke mortality; however, its prognostic utility has not been extensively explored. Our goal was to investigate whether low buffy coat mtDNA-CN is a marker and causal determinant of poststroke outcomes using epidemiologic and genetic studies. METHODS: First, we performed association testing between baseline …