Reflections on “mitochondrial DNA abundance in blood is associated with Alzheimer’s disease- and dementia-risk”

TO THE EDITOR:

We read with great interest the research article titled “Mitochondrial DNA abundance in blood is associated with Alzheimer’s disease- and dementia-risk” [1]. The article by Hannah Stocker et al. offers a significant contribution to the field of dementia research by investigating the association between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of dementia. The study leverages the extensive data from the ESTHER cohort, a large-scale, population-based study in Germany, which followed nearly 10,000 participants over 17 years. This long-term perspective and the comprehensive data collection are major strengths, providing a robust foundation for analyzing the complex relationship between mtDNAcn and dementia risk.