Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33558370›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2021

Neurofilament light chain predicts future dementia risk in cerebral small vessel disease.

Marco Egle, Laurence Loubiere, Aleksandra Maceski, Jens Kuhle, Nils Peters, Hugh S Markus

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Arterial stiffness moderates the link between NfL and cognition: The IGNITE study.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Plasma proteomics of cerebrovascular disease, cognitive decline, and clinical outcomes.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Circulating neurodegenerative brain injury markers and hip fracture and fall hospitalizations: the Cardiovascular Health Study.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2025
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Plasma NfL and GFAP for predicting VCI and related brain changes in community and clinical cohorts.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Vascular risk, gait, behavioral, and plasma indicators of VCID.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Marco EgleStroke Research Group, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK me417@medschl.cam.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5247-7068
Laurence LoubiereStroke Research Group, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Aleksandra MaceskiNeurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Departments of Medicine, Biomedicine and Clinical Research, University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Jens KuhleNeurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Departments of Medicine, Biomedicine and Clinical Research, University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Nils PetersStroke Center, Klinik Hirslanden, Zürich, Switzerland.
Hugh S MarkusStroke Research Group, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9794-5996
University of Basel · CHUniversity of Cambridge · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSerum neurofilament light chain (NfL) has been proposed as prognostic markers in neurogenerative disease. A cross-sectional study in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) reported an association with cognition and disability. If NfL is to be used to predict outcome, studies are required to demonstrate baseline NfL predicts future dementia risk. Furthermore, if it is to be used as a surrogate marker in clinical trials, change in NfL over time periods typical of a clinical trial must be linked to clinical progression. In a longitudinal study of patients with lacunar stroke and confluent white matter hyperintensities, we determined whether both baseline, and change, in NfL levels were linked to changes in MRI markers, cognitive decline and dementia risk.

methodsPatients underwent MRI, cognitive testing and blood taking at baseline and annually for 3 years. Clinical and cognitive follow-up continued for 5 years.

resultsNfL data were available for 113 subjects for baseline analysis, and 90 patients for the longitudinal analysis. Baseline NfL predicted cognitive decline (global cognition β

conclusionsBaseline NfL predicts changes in MRI markers, cognitive decline and dementia rate over a 5 years follow-up period in SVD, suggesting NfL may be a useful prognostic marker. However, change in NfL values was not detected, and therefore NfL may not be a useful surrogate marker in clinical trials in SVD.

Identifiers

PMID33558370
PMCPMC8142459
OpenAlexW3122108698

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.