NfL a new serum biomarker, may help diagnose mild cognitive decline in elderly: Study

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a neuron-specific structural protein, that has recently been suggested as a marker of axonal injury and neurodegeneration with potential applications for both patient monitoring and for observational and interventional studies. However, research and studies about plasma NfL and cognitive decline in older people are still limited.

A study was conducted by He L et. al wherein they included 504 older adults (median age 75 years) who expressed memory complaints from the Multidomain Alzheimer's Preventive Trial (MAPT) and were classified as normal cognition (NC) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Cognitive functions were measured as mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and composite cognitive score (CCS) over a 4-year period. Plasma NfL was measured at the first or the second year of the MAPT. Mixed-effects linear models were performed to evaluate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations.

The results of the study are as follows:

• In the whole population, higher plasma Neurofilament light chain (NfL) was cross-sectionally associated with lower cognitive functions.
  
• In adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but not normal cognition (NC), higher plasma Neurofilament light chain (NfL) was associated with lower cognitive score (CCS) at the cross-sectional level.
  
• The upper quartile Neurofilament light chain (NfL) group further demonstrated more over time decline in the cognitive score (CCS) under the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) status.
  

Thus, the researchers concluded that plasma Neurofilament light chain (NfL) can be a promising biomarker of progressive cognition decline in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Reference:

A study titled, "Plasma neurofilament light chain is associated with cognitive decline in non-dementia older adults" by He L et. al published in the Scientific Reports.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91038-0