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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Parkinson’s Disease and Aging-related Movement Disorders
Volume 16 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1465016
This article is part of the Research Topic A comprehensive look at biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases: from early diagnosis to treatment response assessment View all 16 articles

Predictive Value of Serum Neurofilament Light Chain for Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease

Provisionally accepted
Lihua Gu Lihua Gu 1*Rui Gao Rui Gao 1Hao Shu Hao Shu 2
  • 1 Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China
  • 2 Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has recently emerged as a key indicator of neurodegeneration. In this study, our hypothesis is that the levels of blood-derived NfL and its accumulation during the Parkinson's disease (PD) progression could serve as a potential biomarker for predicting subsequent cognitive decline. To investigate this, we conducted a study utilizing a large single-center cohort. Methods: The study included 193 participants, consisting of 106 cognitively normal PD (PD-CN) patients and 87 normal controls (NC) individuals. Serum NfL concentrations were measured. PD patients were followed up for clinical assessment at an average of 2 ± 0.6 years. Results: The serum NfL levels were significantly higher in PD-CN patients compared to NC. PD-CN patients and NC at follow-up time exhibited higher serum NfL levels compared to those at baseline. PD patients with high serum NfL levels were found to have a higher likelihood of transitioning from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.107, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.010-1.213, p = 0.030). The area under the curve (AUC) for PD-CN conversion to MCI or dementia at follow-up time was determined to be 0.684 (95% CI 0.569-0.799). Conclusions: In conclusion, our study found that PD patients have significantly higher levels of serum NfL compared to individuals without PD. Furthermore, serum NfL levels increase as PD progresses and can predict cognitive impairment within a two-year timeframe. Serum NfL may serve as a feasible, non-invasive biomarker of cognitive progression in PD. However, further studies and functional experiments are needed to validate these findings.

    Keywords: cognitive impairment, neurofilament light chain, Parkinson's disease, Serum, cohort

    Received: 15 Jul 2024; Accepted: 06 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gu, Gao and Shu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lihua Gu, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.