ArticleJournal of neurology2022
Serum neurofilament light chain levels in Covid-19 patients without major neurological manifestations.
Article in Journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 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
- Progranulin AAV gene therapy for frontotemporal dementia: translational studies and phase 1/2 trial interim results.Nature medicine · 2024Trial
- Understanding the long-term neurological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2026Review
- CRP Is a Key Indicator of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Vascular Injury and Neurodegeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Serum NSE and EEG sleep figures for prognostication of short-term outcomes in adults with severe COVID-19 pneumonia: a prospective single-center study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Insight into NeuroCOVID: neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a biomarker in post-COVID-19 patients with olfactory dysfunctions.Journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Article
- Observational
- Neuropsychiatric Burden of SARS-CoV-2: A Review of Its Physiopathology, Underlying Mechanisms, and Management Strategies.Viruses · 2024Review
- Long COVID: plasma levels of neurofilament light chain in mild COVID-19 patients with neurocognitive symptoms.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Article
- COVID-19 and multiple sclerosis: challenges and lessons for patient care.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2024Review
- Long COVID in Brain Health Research: A Call to Action.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Mechanisms of COVID-19-associated olfactory dysfunction.Neuropathology and applied neurobiology · 2024Review
- Neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acid protein levels are elevated in post-mild COVID-19 or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 cases.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- New approaches for understanding the potential role of microbes in Alzheimer's disease.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Review
- Normative Values for Serum Neurofilament Light Chain in US Adults.Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul, Korea) · 2024Article
- Age-dependent phenotypes of cognitive impairment as sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Article
- Post-acute COVID-19 neuropsychiatric symptoms are not associated with ongoing nervous system injury.Brain communications · 2024Article
- Neurofilament Expression as a Biomarker of Post-COVID-19 Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIncreased serum levels of neurofilament light chain (sNFL), a biomarker of neuroaxonal damage, have been reported in patients with Covid-19. We aimed at investigating whether sNFL is increased in Covid-19 patients without major neurological manifestations, is associated with disease severity, respiratory and routine blood parameters, and changes longitudinally in the short term.
methodssNFL levels were measured with single molecule array (Simoa) technology in 57 hospitalized Covid-19 patients without major neurological manifestations and in 30 neurologically healthy controls. Patients were evaluated for PaO2/FiO2 ratio on arterial blood gas, Brescia Respiratory Covid Severity Scale (BRCSS), white blood cell counts, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), plasma D-dimer, plasma fibrinogen, and serum creatinine at admission. In 20 patients, NFL was also measured on serum samples obtained at a later timepoint during the hospital stay.
resultsCovid-19 patients had higher baseline sNFL levels compared to controls, regardless of disease severity. Baseline sNFL correlated with serum CRP and plasma D-dimer in patients with mild disease, but was not associated with measures of respiratory impairment. Longitudinal sNFL levels tended to be higher than baseline ones, albeit not significantly, and correlated with serum CRP and plasma D-dimer. The PaO2/FiO2 ratio was not associated with longitudinal sNFL, whereas BRCSS only correlated with longitudinal sNFL variation.
conclusionsWe provide neurochemical evidence of subclinical axonal damage in Covid-19 also in the absence of major neurological manifestations. This is apparently not fully explained by hypoxic injury; rather, systemic inflammation might promote this damage. However, a direct neurotoxic effect of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be excluded.
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