Quantification of blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) concentration effectively distinguishes Parkinson’s disease from atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD), according to research published online ahead of print February 8 in Neurology. In addition, NfL in blood may also improve the diagnostic examination of patients with parkinsonian symptoms in primary and specialized settings, as well as improve treatment of axonal degeneration. It can be challenging to differentiate Parkinson’s disease from APD, especially during the early stages of the diseases. Although there are no established diagnostic methods to accurately distinguish Parkinson’s disease from APD, previous studies suggest that the NfL protein in CSF may be a reliable biomarker for APD. Several studies also indicate that CSF concentration of NfL is increased in APD, but not in Parkinson’s disease. The diagnostic utility of blood NfL had not been studied previously, however.
Oskar Hansson, MD, PhD
The investigators found a significant correlation between blood and CSF concentrations of NfL. In addition, they observed in all cohorts that blood NfL was increased in patients with MSA, PSP, and CBS, when compared with patients with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls. Researchers concluded that blood NfL accurately differentiated Parkinson’s disease from APD in all three cohorts.
“Development of a fully automated clinical-grade assay and establishment of cutoff points would be necessary for implementation of blood-based NfL measurements in clinical practice,” said the researchers.
—Erica Tricarico
Suggested Reading
Hansson O, Janelidze S, Hall S, et al. Blood-based NfL: A biomarker for differential diagnosis of parkinsonian disorder. Neurology. 2017 Feb 8 [Epub ahead of print].