Neurofilament light chain levels in serum among a large mixed memory clinic cohort: Confounders and diagnostic usefulness

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Early and accurate diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders including neurodegenerative dementia remains challenging. This study explores the impact of biological factors on serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels and clinical usefulness for the detection of neurocognitive disorders in a mixed memory clinic. METHODS: Serum samples and clinical data were obtained from 1188 patients who underwent diagnostic investigations for memory complaints between January 2018 and September 2019. Serum NfL was measured using single molecule array technology. RESULTS: NfL exhibited a moderate association with age, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and Fazekas score. NfL was able to differentiate between patients with neurocognitive disorders and those without with a sensitivity and specificity of 80%. NfL could, however, not distinguish between different dementia etiologies. DISCUSSION: Serum NfL could aid early diagnostic triage by identifying patients requiring further diagnostic procedures and therefore aid in a more focused use of health-care resources.