ArticleEBioMedicine2022
Serum neurofilament light levels are predictive of all-cause mortality in late middle-aged individuals.
Article in EBioMedicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Childhood-onset neurodegeneration and brain atrophy: definingJournal of medical genetics · 2026Article
- Serum NfL, GFAP, and p-tau217 in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy and intellectual disabilities: Signs of ongoing neural injury.Epilepsia · 2026Article
- CSF neurofilament light chain concentration in patients with delirium following hip fracture: a multicenter prospective study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Observational
- Article
- Neurofilament light chain may serve as a cross-species blood biomarker to assess aging and predict mortality.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Neurosenescence, inflammaging and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disorders.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- Epigenetic dysregulation of transposable elements in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.GeroScience · 2025Article
- Alternating hemiplegia of childhood associated mutations in Atp1a3 reveal diverse neurological alterations in mice.Neurobiology of disease · 2025Article
- Plasma homocysteine level and trajectories in association with longitudinal increase in plasma neurofilament light among urban adults.GeroScience · 2025Article
- Neurofilament Light Chain in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood in Multiple System Atrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Association between serum neurofilament light chains and Life's Essential 8: A cross-sectional analysis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Brain Expression Levels of Commonly Measured Blood Biomarkers of Neurological Damage Differ with Respect to Sex, Race, and Age.Neuroscience · 2024Article
- Serum neurofilament light chain as a prognostic marker of all-cause mortality in a national sample of US adults.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Ratio of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width to Albumin Level and Risk of Mortality.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Serum neurofilament indicates accelerated neurodegeneration and predicts mortality in late-stage Parkinson's disease.NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2024Article
- Neurovascular unit, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration markers in brain disorders.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2024Review
- Negative association of serum neurofilament light chain with estimated glomerular filtration rate levels and the impact of gender.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Serum neurofilament light chain levels are associated with all-cause mortality in the general US population.Journal of neurology · 2023Article
- Elevated biomarkers of neural injury in older adults following head-down bed rest: links to cardio-postural deconditioning with spaceflight and aging.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBlood biomarkers can offer valuable and easily accessible indicators of normal biological processes, pathogenic conditions, and responses to therapeutic interventions. Recent studies found that levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood are associated with mortality in three European cohorts of older adults (median ages 73, 93, and 100 years). Whether similar associations exist in younger adults and in other ethnic groups is currently not known.
methodsWe utilized a cohort study that included 294 African Americans (baseline ages 49-65). Serum NfL levels were measured using a Meso Scale Discovery-based assay. Vital status was determined by matching through the National Death Index.
findingsSeventy-two participants (24.5%) died during the 14-15 years of follow up (2000-2014). Baseline serum NfL levels were significantly higher in the decedent group (86.1±65.7 pg/ml vs. 50.1±28.0 pg/ml, p < 0·001). In binomial logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, education, baseline smoking status, BMI, and total comorbidities (0-11), serum NfL levels remained a strong predictor of all-cause mortality, and sensitivity analyses employing multiple additional covariates did not substantively change the relationship. Further, Kaplan-Meier curves based on serum NfL quartiles showed reduced survival in groups with higher serum NfL levels.
interpretationThis study found a positive association between serum NfL levels and mortality in late middle-aged and older individuals. While our findings support that serum NfL levels may be a useful biomarker for all-cause mortality, further studies are needed to understand the biological mechanisms underlying this association.
fundingNational Institute on Aging, Saint Louis University.
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Registered trials
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