Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma neurofilament light relate to abnormal cognition

Katie E Osborn; Omair A Khan; Hailey A Kresge; Corey W Bown; Dandan Liu; Elizabeth E Moore; Katherine A Gifford; Lealani Mae Y Acosta; Susan P Bell; Timothy J Hohman; Kaj Blennow; Henrik Zetterberg; Angela L Jefferson

doi:10.1016/j.dadm.2019.08.008

Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma neurofilament light relate to abnormal cognition

Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2019 Oct 22:11:700-709. doi: 10.1016/j.dadm.2019.08.008. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Authors

Katie E Osborn¹, Omair A Khan^{1

2}, Hailey A Kresge¹, Corey W Bown¹, Dandan Liu^{1

2}, Elizabeth E Moore¹, Katherine A Gifford¹, Lealani Mae Y Acosta¹, Susan P Bell^{1

3}, Timothy J Hohman^{1

4}, Kaj Blennow^{5

6}, Henrik Zetterberg^{5

6

7

8}, Angela L Jefferson¹

Affiliations

¹ Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
² Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
³ Divisions of Cardiovascular and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
⁴ Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
⁶ Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden.
⁷ Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK.
⁸ UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK.

Abstract

Introduction: Neuroaxonal damage may contribute to cognitive changes preceding clinical dementia. Accessible biomarkers are critical for detecting such damage.

Methods: Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NFL) were related to neuropsychological performance among Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants (plasma n = 333, 73 ± 7 years; CSF n = 149, 72 ± 6 years) ranging from normal cognition (NC) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, apolipoprotein E ε4 carriership, and Framingham Stroke Risk Profile.

Results: Plasma NFL was related to all domains (P values ≤ .008) except processing speed (P values ≥ .09). CSF NFL was related to memory and language (P values ≤ .04). Interactions with cognitive diagnosis revealed widespread plasma associations, particularly in MCI participants, which were further supported in head-to-head comparison models.

Discussion: Plasma and CSF NFL (reflecting neuroaxonal injury) relate to cognition among non-demented older adults albeit with small to medium effects. Plasma NFL shows particular promise as an accessible biomarker with relevance to cognition in MCI.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Cerebrospinal fluid; Cognition; Mild cognitive impairment; Neurofilament light; Plasma.

Abstract

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