Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker for Cognitive Decline in Parkinson Disease.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) is a promising biomarker of neurodegeneration.

OBJECTIVES:

To determine whether plasma and CSF NfL (1) associate with motor or cognitive status in Parkinson's disease (PD) and (2) predict future motor or cognitive decline in PD.

METHODS:

Six hundred and fifteen participants with neurodegenerative diseases, including 152 PD and 200 healthy control participants, provided a plasma and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NfL sample. Diagnostic groups were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis rank test. Within PD, cross-sectional associations between NfL and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) and Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS-2) scores were assessed by linear regression; longitudinal analyses were performed using linear mixed-effects models and Cox regression.

RESULTS:

Plasma and CSF NfL levels correlated substantially (Spearman r = 0.64, P < 0.001); NfL was highest in neurocognitive disorders. PD participants with high plasma NfL were more likely to develop incident cognitive impairment (HR 5.34, P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS:

Plasma NfL is a useful prognostic biomarker for PD, predicting clinical conversion to mild cognitive impairment or dementia. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

• Authors: Whitley W Aamodt, Teresa Waligorska, Junchao Shen, Thomas F Tropea, Andrew Siderowf, Daniel Weintraub, Murray Grossman, David Irwin, David A Wolk, Sharon X Xie, John Q Trojanowski, Leslie M Shaw, Alice S Chen-Plotkin
• Journal: Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society (Mov Disord) Vol. 36 Issue 12 Pg. 2945-2950 (12 2021) ISSN: 1531-8257 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34480363 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers

Topics

• Biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid)
• Cognitive Dysfunction (cerebrospinal fluid, diagnosis, etiology)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Disease Progression
• Humans
• Intermediate Filaments (metabolism)
• Parkinson Disease (complications, diagnosis)