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Serum NfL in Alzheimer Dementia: Results of the Prospective Dementia Registry Austria
Kern D, Khalil M, Pirpamer L, Buchmann A, Hofer E, Dal-Bianco P, Stögmann E, Scherfler C et al.. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 2022-03-16
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Higher sNfL concentrations were associated with worse performance in cognitive tests at baseline, including CERAD (B = −10.084, SE = 2.999, p < 0.001) and MMSE (B = −3.014, SE = 1.293, p = 0.021). The sNfL levels also correlated with the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI total score: r = 0.138, p = 0.041) and with smaller volumes of the temporal lobe (B = −0.012, SE = 0.003, p = 0.001), the hippocampus (B = −0.001, SE = 0.000201, p = 0.013), the entorhinal (B = −0.000308, SE = 0.000124, p = 0.014), and the parahippocampal cortex (B = −0.000316, SE = 0.000113, p = 0.006). The sNfL values predicted more pronounced cognitive decline over the mean follow-up period of 22 months, but there were no significant associations with respect to change in neuropsychiatric symptoms and brain volumetric measures. the sNfL levels relate to cognitive, behavioural, and imaging hallmarks of AD and predicts short term cognitive decline.
Key findings
- Higher sNfL concentrations were associated with worse performance in cognitive tests at baseline, including CERAD (B = −10.084, SE = 2.999, p < 0.001) and MMSE (B = −3.014, SE = 1.293, p = 0.021).
- The sNfL levels also correlated with the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI total score: r = 0.138, p = 0.041) and with smaller volumes of the temporal lobe (B = −0.012, SE = 0.003, p = 0.001), the hippocampus (B = −0.001, SE = 0.000201, p = 0.013), the entorhinal (B = −0.000308, SE = 0.000124, p = 0.014), and the parahippocampal cortex (B = −0.000316, SE = 0.000113, p = 0.006).
- The sNfL values predicted more pronounced cognitive decline over the mean follow-up period of 22 months, but there were no significant associations with respect to change in neuropsychiatric symptoms and brain volumetric measures. the sNfL levels relate to cognitive, behavioural, and imaging hallmar
Why it matters
In this study, higher serum NfL levels were linked to worse cognitive test scores and predicted more cognitive decline over about 22 months, but not changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms or brain volumes. This marker may help track short-term cognitive worsening, but the study does not show any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants237
- Effect size93.3%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Medicina: journal h-index 107 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 237 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 15 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.5 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 12 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Reinhold Ernst Schmidt: h-index 100 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Medical University of Vienna: institution h-index 818 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 35334608) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kern, D., Khalil, M., Pirpamer, L., Buchmann, A., Hofer, E., Dal-Bianco, P., et al. (2022). Serum NfL in Alzheimer Dementia: Results of the Prospective Dementia Registry Austria. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58030433
Vancouver
Kern D, Khalil M, Pirpamer L, Buchmann A, Hofer E, Dal-Bianco P, et al. Serum NfL in Alzheimer Dementia: Results of the Prospective Dementia Registry Austria. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). 2022. doi:10.3390/medicina58030433. PMID: 35334608.
BibTeX
@article{kern2022-35334608,
author = {Kern, D. and Khalil, M. and Pirpamer, L. and Buchmann, A. and Hofer, E. and Dal-Bianco, P. and Stögmann, E. and Scherfler, C. and others},
title = {{Serum NfL in Alzheimer Dementia: Results of the Prospective Dementia Registry Austria}},
journal = {Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.3390/medicina58030433},
pmid = {35334608},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58030433}
}
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