Lauvsnes, MB;
Zetterberg, H;
Blennow, K;
Kvaloy, JT;
Tjensvoll, AB;
Maroni, S;
Beyer, MK;
... Omdal, R; + view all
(2022)
Neurofilament light in plasma is a potential biomarker of central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Journal of Neurology
, 269
pp. 3064-3074.
10.1007/s00415-021-10893-z.
Preview |
Text
Zetterberg_Lauvsnes.pdf - Accepted Version Download (153kB) | Preview |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric manifestations (NP) are common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the pathophysiological mechanisms are not completely understood. Neurofilament light protein (NfL) is part of the neuronal cytoskeleton. Increased NfL concentrations, reflecting neurodegeneration, is observed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in several neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory conditions. We aimed to explore if plasma NfL could serve as a biomarker for central nervous system (CNS) involvement in SLE. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with SLE underwent neurological examination; 52 underwent lumbar puncture, while 62 underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We measured selected auto-antibodies and other laboratory variables postulated to have roles in NP pathophysiology in the blood and/or CSF. We used SPM12 software for MRI voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS: Age-adjusted linear regression analyses revealed increased plasma NfL concentrations with increasing creatinine (β = 0.01, p < 0.001) and Q-albumin (β = 0.07, p = 0.008). We observed higher plasma NfL concentrations in patients with a history of seizures (β = 0.57, p = 0.014), impaired motor function (β = 0.36, p = 0.008), increasing disease activity (β = 0.04, p = 0.008), and organ damage (β = 0.10, p = 0.002). Voxel-based morphometry suggested an association between increasing plasma NfL concentrations and the loss of cerebral white matter in the corpus callosum and hippocampal gray matter. CONCLUSION: Increased plasma NfL concentrations were associated with some abnormal neurological, cognitive, and neuroimaging findings. However, plasma NfL was also influenced by other factors, such as damage accrual, creatinine, and Q-albumin, thereby obscuring the interpretation of how plasma NfL reflects CNS involvement. Taken together, NfL in CSF seems a better marker of neuronal injury than plasma NfL in patients with SLE.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Neurofilament light in plasma is a potential biomarker of central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00415-021-10893-z |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-021-10893-z |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Systemic lupus erythematosus, Neuroflament light, Central nervous system, Cerebral imaging, Biomarker |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neurodegenerative Diseases |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10140711 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
