Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37813595›Full record

Observational studyNeurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation2023

Increasing Neurofilament and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein After Treatment Discontinuation Predicts Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity.

Gauruv Bose, Brian C Healy, Shrishti Saxena, Fermisk Saleh, Bonnie I Glanz, Rohit Bakshi, Howard L Weiner, Tanuja Chitnis

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Discontinuation of ocrelizumab in multiple sclerosis: reoccurrence of disease activity.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2026
    Observational
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Role of soluble biomarkers in treating multiple sclerosis and neuroinflammatory conditions.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Cladribine tablets in the new multiple sclerosis era.Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Multiple sclerosis relapse risk factors across treatment eras.Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical
    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

8 authors.

Gauruv BoseFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5204-6348
Brian C HealyFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.
Shrishti SaxenaFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.
Fermisk SalehFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.
Bonnie I GlanzFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.
Rohit BakshiFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8601-5534
Howard L WeinerFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada.
Tanuja ChitnisFrom the Department of Neurology (G.B., B.C.H., S.S., F.S., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School (G.B., B.C.H., B.I.G., R.B., H.L.W., T.C.), Boston, MA; The University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (G.B.), Ottawa, Canada. tchitnis@rics.bwh.harvard.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesStable patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may discontinue treatment, but the risk of disease activity is unknown. Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) are biomarkers of subclinical disease activity and may help risk stratification. In this study, sNfL and sGFAP levels in stable patients were evaluated before and after treatment discontinuation to determine association with disease activity.

methodsThis observational study included patients enrolled in the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation in MS at the Brigham and Women's Hospital who discontinued treatment after >2 years disease activity-free. Two serum samples within 2 years, before and after treatment stop, were sent for sNfL and sGFAP measurements by single-molecule array. Biannual neurologic examinations and yearly MRI scans determined disease activity by 3 time-to-event outcomes: 6-month confirmed disability worsening (CDW), clinical attacks, and MRI activity (new T2 or contrast-enhancing lesions). Associations between each outcome and log-transformed sNfL and sGFAP levels pretreatment stop and posttreatment stop and the percent change were estimated using multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusting for age, disability, disease duration, and duration from attack before treatment stop.

resultsSeventy-eight patients (92% female) discontinued treatment at a median (interquartile range) age of 48.5 years (39.0-55.7) and disease duration of 12.3 years (7.5-18.8) and were followed up for 6.3 years (4.2-8.5). CDW occurred in 27 patients (35%), new attacks in 19 (24%), and new MRI activity in 26 (33%). Higher posttreatment stop sNfL level was associated with CDW (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.80, 95% CI 1.36-5.76, DISCUSSION: Stable patients who discontinue treatment may be risk stratified by sNfL and sGFAP levels measured before and after discontinuing treatment. Further studies are needed to validate findings and determine whether resuming treatment in patients with increasing biomarker levels reduces risk of subsequent disease activity.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisBiomarkersFemaleGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinHumansIntermediate FilamentsMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkersGlial Fibrillary Acidic Protein

Identifiers

PMID37813595
PMCPMC10574823

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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.