CSF neurofilament light chain reflects corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS
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Volume
2
Pagination
748 - 755
Publisher
DOI
10.1002/acn3.212
Journal
ANNALS OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL NEUROLOGY
Issue
ISSN
2328-9503
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Objective: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to white matter tract
pathology. A core signature involving the corticospinal tracts (CSTs) has been
identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Raised neurofilament light
chain protein (NfL) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thought to reflect axonal
damage in a range of neurological disorders. The relationship between these
two measures was explored. Methods: CSF and serum NfL concentrations and
DTI acquired at 3 Tesla on the same day were obtained from ALS patients
(n = 25 CSF, 40 serum) and healthy, age-similar controls (n = 17 CSF, 25
serum). Within-group correlations between NfL and DTI measures of microstructural integrity in major white matter tracts (CSTs, superior longitudinal
fasciculi [SLF], and corpus callosum) were performed using tract-based spatial
statistics. Results: NfL levels were higher in patients compared to controls. CSF
levels correlated with clinical upper motor neuron burden and rate of disease
progression. Higher NfL levels were significantly associated with lower DTI
fractional anisotropy and increased radial diffusivity in the CSTs of ALS
patients, but not in controls. Interpretation: Elevated CSF and serum NfL is, in
part, a result of CST degeneration in ALS. This highlights the wider potential
for combining neurochemical and neuroimaging-based biomarkers in neurological disease.
Authors
Menke, RAL; Gray, E; Lu, C-H; Kuhle, J; Talbot, K; Malaspina, A; Turner, MRCollections
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