Open AccessElevated plasma neurofilament light in aging reflects brain white‐matter alterations but does not predict cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Nyberg Lars,
Lundquist Anders,
Nordin Adolfsson Annelie,
Andersson Micael,
Zetterberg Henrik,
Blennow Kaj,
Adolfsson Rolf
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoring
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.497
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2352-8729
DOI - 10.1002/dad2.12050
Subject(s) - white matter , cognition , psychology , cognitive decline , alzheimer's disease , neuroscience , aging brain , disease , medicine , audiology , magnetic resonance imaging , dementia , radiology
We investigated neurofilament light (NFL) accumulation in normal aging as well as in preclinical and clinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) and assessed individual differences in NFL load in relation to cognition and brain white‐matter integrity. Methods We analyzed longitudinal data covering 30 years (1988–2017). Cognitive testing was done up to six times. Plasma NFL was quantified for controls and 142 cases who developed AD over time, and longitudinal changes in NFL were quantified for 100 individuals with three brain‐imaging sessions. Results Longitudinal analyses revealed age‐related NFL increases with marked variability. AD cases had elevated NFL levels, while no significant group differences were seen in the preclinical phase. Variability in NFL levels showed non‐significant correlations with cognition but was associated with brain white matter. Discussion Our findings suggest that elevated blood NFL, likely reflecting brain white‐matter alterations, characterizes clinical AD, while NFL levels do not predict age‐related cognitive impairment or impending AD.