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A new study published in the journal Nature Communication reports that a single blood biomarker can detect the presence of 13 neurodegenerative disorders, from frontotemporal dementia to motor neuron disease. The test cannot specifically distinguish each disorder but is instead offered as a way to determine whether patients with memory problems are suffering from the early stages of neurodegenerative disease.
The neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a protein released in the cerebrospinal fluid when brain cells are damaged. It can be detected in the blood, and researchers have long studied this biomarker as a way to easily diagnose neurodegenerative diseases. like Alzheimer’s disease.
This new study examined more than 3,000 blood samples from a diverse cohort of subjects to determine whether blood levels of NfL could differentiate cognitively healthy subjects from those with neurodegenerative diseases.
Research found that NfL levels could effectively detect subjects with any of 13 different neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, even more significantly, NfL levels could be used to identify whether patients with moderate to severe depression were suffering from the early stages of neurodegeneration.
Abdul Hye, co-lead author of the study, says this particular finding means that NfL levels could be used in clinical settings to help physicians determine whether a patient’s cognitive symptoms are an early sign of neurodegeneration or neurodegeneration. ‘another type of psychiatric problem.
“For the first time, we have shown for a number of disorders that a single biomarker can indicate the presence of underlying neurodegeneration with excellent accuracy,” explains Hye. “While not specific to any particular disorder, it could be useful in services such as memory clinics as a rapid screening tool to identify whether memory, thinking, or psychiatric problems are present. the result of neurodegeneration. “
Although the study found that blood levels of NfL could not diagnose specific neurodegenerative conditions, the researchers note that the biomarker has value in tracking shades within certain groups of patients. Elevated blood levels of NfL in patients with Parkinson’s disease, for example, have been shown to signal atypical cases of the disease. In subjects with Down syndrome, high levels of NfL have been found to correlate with dementia.
“This suggests that the new marker could potentially be used to improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome, as well as as a biomarker to show whether treatments are working or not,” says the co-author. of the Andre Strydom study. “It’s exciting that all that might be needed is a simple blood test, which is better tolerated in people with Down’s syndrome than brain scans.”
As NfL levels naturally increase with age, the new study also offers age-related thresholds separating normal from abnormal NfL levels. This will help clinicians determine if blood levels of NfL are a sign of neurodegeneration or just a natural buildup that accompanies aging.
“Blood-based NfL offers a scalable and widely accessible alternative to invasive and expensive testing for dementia,” Hye adds. “It is already used as a routine assessment in some European countries such as Sweden or the Netherlands, and our age-related cut-offs can provide a quickly accessible benchmark and test for clinicians to indicate neurodegeneration in patients. people with thinking and memory problems. “
The new study was published in the journal Nature Communication.
Source: King’s College London
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