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Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease
Benedet AL, Leuzy A, Pascoal TA, Ashton NJ, Mathotaarachchi S, Savard M, Therriault J, Kang MS et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2020-12-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Neurofilament light (NfL) is a marker of neuroaxonal injury, a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease. It remains uncertain, however, how it relates to amyloid and tau pathology or neurodegeneration across the Alzheimer's disease continuum. The aim of this study was to investigate how plasma NfL relates to amyloid and tau PET and MRI measures of brain atrophy in participants with and without cognitive impairment.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Benedet, A. L., Leuzy, A., Pascoal, T. A., Ashton, N. J., Mathotaarachchi, S., Savard, M., et al. (2020). Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa342
Vancouver
Benedet AL, Leuzy A, Pascoal TA, Ashton NJ, Mathotaarachchi S, Savard M, et al. Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2020. doi:10.1093/brain/awaa342. PMID: 33210117.
BibTeX
@article{benedet2020-33210117,
author = {Benedet, A. L. and Leuzy, A. and Pascoal, T. A. and Ashton, N. J. and Mathotaarachchi, S. and Savard, M. and Therriault, J. and Kang, M. S. and others},
title = {{Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awaa342},
pmid = {33210117},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa342}
}
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Key findings
- It remains uncertain, however, how it relates to amyloid and tau pathology or neurodegeneration across the Alzheimer's disease continuum.
- The aim of this study was to investigate how plasma NfL relates to amyloid and tau PET and MRI measures of brain atrophy in participants with and without cognitive impairment.
- We retrospectively examined the association between plasma NfL and MRI measures of grey/white matter volumes in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI: n = 1149; 382 cognitively unimpaired control subjects and 767 cognitively impaired participants (mild cognitive impairment n = 420, Alzheimer's disease dementia n = 347)].
- Longitudinal plasma NfL was measured using single molecule array (Simoa) technology.
Why it matters
Neurofilament light (NfL) is a blood marker of nerve-fibre injury. This study looked back at 1,149 people in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (382 without cognitive problems, 420 with mild cognitive impairment, 347 with Alzheimer's dementia). It asked how blood NfL, measured over time, relates to amyloid and tau PET scans and to MRI measures of brain shrinkage. It is an observational analysis of associations, so it cannot show that NfL causes or changes the course of the disease, and it does not on its own establish NfL as a diagnostic test.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants1,149
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. 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 62 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 65 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,149 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 123 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.4 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 9 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 64 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 | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 16 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33210117) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 62 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 62 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 65 out of 100. |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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