ArticleJournal of neurology2021
Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) values in a large cross-sectional population of children with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19.
Article in Journal of neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blood Biomarkers as Prognostic Indicators for Neurological Injury in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Immune-metabolic trajectories delineate subgroups in paediatric long COVID.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Impact of meningoencephalitis and sepsis on delirium and subsequent neurological impairment in pediatric patients: a prospective proof-of-concept biomarker and EEG study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Observational
- Association between sleep duration and serum neurofilament light chain levels among adults in the United States.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- Transient Changes in the Plasma of Astrocytic and Neuronal Injury Biomarkers in COVID-19 Patients without Neurological Syndromes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Therapeutic Approaches to the Neurologic Manifestations of COVID-19.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2022Article
- Plasma Biomarkers of Neuropathogenesis in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 and Those With Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation · 2022Article
- Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain in patients with early treated phenylketonuria.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSerum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is an established biomarker of neuro-axonal damage in multiple neurological disorders. Raised sNfL levels have been reported in adults infected with pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Levels in children infected with COVID-19 have not as yet been reported.
objectiveTo evaluate whether sNfL is elevated in children contracting COVID-19.
methodsBetween May 22 and July 22, 2020, a network of outpatient pediatricians in Bavaria, Germany, the Coronavirus antibody screening in children from Bavaria study network (CoKiBa), recruited healthy children into a cross-sectional study from two sources: an ongoing prevention program for 1-14 years, and referrals of 1-17 years consulting a pediatrician for possible infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We determined sNfL levels by single molecule array immunoassay and SARS-CoV-2 antibody status by two independent quantitative methods.
resultsOf the 2652 included children, 148 (5.6%) were SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 infection. Neurological symptoms-headache, dizziness, muscle aches, or loss of smell and taste-were present in 47/148 cases (31.8%). Mean sNfL levels were 5.5 pg/ml (SD 2.9) in the total cohort, 5.1 (SD 2.1) pg/ml in the children with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and 5.5 (SD 3.0) pg/ml in those without. Multivariate regression analysis revealed age-but neither antibody status, antibody levels, nor clinical severity-as an independent predictor of sNfL. Follow-up of children with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (n = 14) showed no association with sNfL.
conclusionsIn this population study, children with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 showed no neurochemical evidence of neuronal damage.
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Registered trials
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