Population-Specific mtDNA Indices of Mitochondrial Stress Associated with Alzheimer's Disease in Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites

Age is known to be the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Mexican Americans (MAs) are the fastest-aging ethnic group in America. This puts MAs at a uniquely elevated risk for AD. This study aimed to identify ethnicity-specific markers for mitochondrial dysfunction associated with cognitive decline and detectable in peripheral blood cells (PBMCs). Specifically, copy numbers of mtDNA and nuclear DNA in PBMCs and blood plasma from non-Hispanic white and Mexican American participants were assessed by qPCR as potential markers of mitochondrial dysfunction and increased risk for cognitive decline. Evidence from these experiments shows that there are ethnicity-specific markers for this blood-based phenotype of mitochondrial dysfunction, which may also be indicative of an increased risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.