Serum Neurofilament Light Chain in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Patients with Cognitive Symptoms in the Neurological Consultation of a Tertiary Center

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Lopes das Neves, Pedro^a | Durães, João^{b; c; d; *} | Silva-Spinola, Anuschka^d | Lima, Marisa^{b; d} | Leitão, Maria João^d | Tábuas-Pereira, Miguel^{b; c; d} | Santana, Isabel^{b; c; d} | Baldeiras, Inês^{c; d}

Affiliations: [a] Neurology Department, Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Lisboa, Portugal | [b] Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | [c] Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | [d] Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: João Durães, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Serviço de Neurologia, Praceta Professor Mota Pinto, 3004-561 Coimbra, Portugal. E-mail: 11038@chuc.min-saude.pt.

Abstract: Serum light-chain neurofilaments (sNfL) have been investigated as a potential minimally invasive biomarker that could help in the diagnosis of patients with cognitive symptoms. We assessed the correlation between sNfL and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (sNfL versus CSF NfL, ρ= 0.70, p < 0.001), the performance of sNfL in distinguishing controls from patients (controls versus frontotemporal dementia, area under curve 0.86), and sNfL differences in mild cognitive impairment according to amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition (Aβ versus non-Aβ, p = 0.017). Our results support the role of this biomarker in the screening and risk stratification of patients followed in a neurological consultation of a tertiary center.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, biomarkers, frontotemporal dementia, mild cognitive impairment, neurofilament light chain

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-221208

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 95, no. 2, pp. 391-397, 2023