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Association of Plasma Neurofilament Light With Neurodegeneration in Patients With Alzheimer Disease
Mattsson N, Andreasson U, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.. JAMA neurology, 2017-05-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Importance Existing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or imaging (tau positron emission tomography) biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD) are invasive or expensive. Biomarkers based on standard blood test results would be useful in research, drug development, and clinical practice. Plasma neurofilament light (NFL) has recently been proposed as a blood-based biomarker for neurodegeneration in dementias. Objective To test whether plasma NFL concentrations are increased in AD and associated with cognitive decline, other AD biomarkers, and imaging evidence of neurodegeneration. Design, setting, and participants In this prospective case-control study, an ultrasensitive assay was used to measure plasma NFL concentration in 193 cognitively healthy controls, 197 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 180 patients with AD dementia from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The study dates were September 7, 2005, to February 13, 2012. The plasma NFL analysis was performed in September 2016. Main outcomes and measures Associations were tested between plasma NFL and diagnosis, Aβ pathologic features, CSF biomarkers of neuronal injury, cognition, brain structure, and metabolism. Results Among 193 cognitively healthy controls, 197 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 180 patients with AD with dementia, plasma NFL correlated with CSF NFL (Spearman ρ = 0.59, P Conclusions and relevance Plasma NFL is associated with AD diagnosis and with cognitive, biochemical, and imaging hallmarks of the disease. This finding implies a potential usefulness for plasma NFL as a noninvasive biomarker in AD.
Key findings
- Biomarkers based on standard blood test results would be useful in research, drug development, and clinical practice.
- Objective To test whether plasma NFL concentrations are increased in AD and associated with cognitive decline, other AD biomarkers, and imaging evidence of neurodegeneration.
- Results Among 193 cognitively healthy controls, 197 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 180 patients with AD with dementia, plasma NFL correlated with CSF NFL (Spearman ρ = 0.59, P < .001).
Why it matters
In people with Alzheimer's dementia and mild cognitive impairment, plasma neurofilament light was higher and correlated with CSF neurofilament light and other markers. This supports it as a blood marker of nerve damage, not a treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Study designcase-control study
- Participants197
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 75/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a case-control study. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 72 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 75 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Neurology: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 6 / 12 | A case-control study |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 197 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,064 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 96.7 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 60.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 5 / 6 | Cited by 106 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 396 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28346578) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 72 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 72 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 75 out of 100. |
| Total | 75 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.6117
- PubMed: 28346578
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mattsson, N., Andreasson, U., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., & Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2017). Association of Plasma Neurofilament Light With Neurodegeneration in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. JAMA neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.6117
Vancouver
Mattsson N, Andreasson U, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Association of Plasma Neurofilament Light With Neurodegeneration in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. JAMA neurology. 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.6117. PMID: 28346578.
BibTeX
@article{mattsson2017-28346578,
author = {Mattsson, N. and Andreasson, U. and Zetterberg, H. and Blennow, K. and {Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative}},
title = {{Association of Plasma Neurofilament Light With Neurodegeneration in Patients With Alzheimer Disease}},
journal = {JAMA neurology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.6117},
pmid = {28346578},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.6117}
}
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