Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36370187›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2023

Neurofilament light chain: a promising diagnostic biomarker for functional motor disorders.

Alessandro Dinoto, Enrico Marcuzzo, Vanessa Chiodega, Francesco Dall'Ora, Sara Mariotto, Michele Tinazzi

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Clinical diagnosis and communication in functional neurological disorders: a survey among Italian neurologists.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  2. Role of soluble biomarkers in treating multiple sclerosis and neuroinflammatory conditions.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025
    Review
  3. Review
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 1 institution in 1 country.

Alessandro Dinoto *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
Enrico Marcuzzo *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
Vanessa Chiodega *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
Francesco Dall'Ora *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
Sara Mariotto *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy. sara.mariotto@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7806-3103
Michele Tinazzi *Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro 10, 37134, Verona, Italy. michele.tinazzi@univr.it.
University of Verona · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveFunctional motor disorders (FMDs) are disabling neurological conditions characterized by abnormal movements which are inconsistent and incongruent with recognized neurological diseases. Aim of this study is to investigate whether FMDs are related to structural axonal damage.

methodsConsecutive patients with a definite diagnosis of FMD with no other neurological/psychiatric comorbidities (pure FMDs) and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in a tertiary center and demographic/clinical data were collected. Serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) assessment was performed with ultrasensitive paramagnetic bead-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

results34 patients with FMDs and 34 HCs were included. NfL levels were similar (p = 0.135) in FMDs (median 8.3 pg/mL, range 2-33.7) and HCs (median 6.1 pg/mL, range 2.7-15.6). The area under curve (0.606, 95% CI 0.468-0.743) confirmed that NfL concentration was not different in the two groups. NfL values were similar in patients with paroxysmal vs persistent disease course (p = 0.301), and isolated vs combined symptoms (p = 0.537). NfL levels were associated with age (p < 0.0001), but not with disease duration (p = 0.425), number of CNS acting drugs (p = 0.850), or clinical features (p = 0.983). DISCUSSION: Our preliminary data show that NfL levels are similar in patients with FMDs and HCs, indicating the lack of neuroaxonal damage. These results have relevant pathogenic and clinical implications and suggest that serum NfL may be a promising diagnostic biomarker, potentially useful to differentiate functional vs structural neurological disorders.

Indexed as

Motor DisordersBiomarkersDisease ProgressionHumansIntermediate FilamentsNeurofilament ProteinsBiomarkersNeurofilament ProteinsBiomarkersFunctional motor disordersMovement disordersNeurofilament light chain

Identifiers

PMID36370187
OpenAlexW4308834986

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.