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Serum neurofilament light chain in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia
Steinacker P, Anderl-Straub S, Diehl-Schmid J, Semler E, Uttner I, von Arnim CAF, Barthel H, Danek A et al.. Neurology, 2018-09-12
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Objective To determine the association of serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) with functional deterioration and brain atrophy during follow-up of patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Methods Blood NfL levels from 74 patients with bvFTD, 26 with Alzheimer disease (AD), 17 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 15 healthy controls (Con) at baseline and follow-up were determined and analyzed for the diagnostic potential in relation to functional assessment (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes [CDR-SOB], frontotemporal lobar degeneration-related CDR-SOB, Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) and brain volumetry. Results At baseline, serum NfL level correlated with CSF NfL (bvFTD r = 0.706, p r = 0.666, p = 0.0003). Highest serum levels were observed in bvFTD ( p p = 0.0078 vs AD, respectively). Discrimination of bvFTD from Con/MCI/AD was possible with 91%/74%/74% sensitivity and 79%/74%/58% specificity. At follow-up, serum NfL increased in bvFTD and AD ( p = 0.0039 and p = 0.0006, respectively). At baseline and follow-up, NfL correlated with functional scores of patients with bvFTD (e.g., CDR-SOB [baseline] r = 0.4157, p = 0.0006; [follow-up] r = 0.5629, p r = -0.5857, p r = 0.6624, p r = 0.5659, p = 0.0003) but not with regional brain volumes. Conclusions As serum NfL correlates with functional impairment and brain atrophy in bvFTD at different disease stages, we propose it as marker of disease severity, paving the way for its future use as outcome measure for clinical trials. Classification of evidence This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with cognitive problems, serum NfL concentration discriminates bvFTD from other forms of dementia.
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APA 7th
Steinacker, P., Anderl-Straub, S., Diehl-Schmid, J., Semler, E., Uttner, I., von Arnim, C. A. F., et al. (2018). Serum neurofilament light chain in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000006318
Vancouver
Steinacker P, Anderl-Straub S, Diehl-Schmid J, Semler E, Uttner I, von Arnim CAF, et al. Serum neurofilament light chain in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Neurology. 2018. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000006318. PMID: 30209235.
BibTeX
@article{steinacker2018-30209235,
author = {Steinacker, P. and Anderl-Straub, S. and Diehl-Schmid, J. and Semler, E. and Uttner, I. and von Arnim, C. A. F. and Barthel, H. and Danek, A. and others},
title = {{Serum neurofilament light chain in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000006318},
pmid = {30209235},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000006318}
}
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Key findings
- Results At baseline, serum NfL level correlated with CSF NfL (bvFTD r = 0.706, p r = 0.666, p = 0.0003).
Why it matters
In this study, serum neurofilament light chain was higher in people with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia than in Alzheimer disease, mild cognitive impairment, or healthy controls, and it rose over time in bvFTD and AD. It correlated with functional decline and brain atrophy in bvFTD, but the study does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants74
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, 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 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 54 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 74 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 117 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.7 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 29 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Heike Zech holds only 4 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Technical University of Munich: institution h-index 1,092 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30209235) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 52 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 54 out of 100. |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000006318
- PubMed: 30209235
- Original source →
- Free full text: n.neurology.org →
Full text: free to read — Unpaywall lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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