Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40498047›Full record

ArticleMovement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society2025

Increase of Plasma Biomarkers in Friedreich's Ataxia: Potential Insights into Disease Pathology.

Christian Rummey, Gilbert Thomas-Black, Hector Garcia-Moreno, David R Lynch, Rosella Abeti, Huseyin Arisoy, Amanda Heslegrave, Henrik Zetterberg, Paola Giunti, European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS)

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Article in Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

10 authors.

Christian RummeyClinical Data Science GmbH, Basel, Switzerland.
Gilbert Thomas-BlackThe Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Hector Garcia-MorenoThe Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
David R LynchDepartment of Pediatrics and Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Rosella AbetiThe Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Huseyin ArisoyThe Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1568-3356
Amanda HeslegraveDepartment of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.
Henrik ZetterbergDepartment of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.
Paola GiuntiThe Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3508-4788
European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS)

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTherapeutic interventions in Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) are progressing into clinical trials, and the need for robust and easily accessible biomarkers has arisen.

objectiveThis study aimed to consolidate preliminary findings of changes in the levels of neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Tau, and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1(UCH-L1) in FRDA comparing two large independent cohorts of patients with healthy controls.

methodsPlasma samples of patients from two large natural history studies (n = 187) and a similar sized cohort of healthy control subjects (n = 127) were assessed using single-molecule array measurements. Age-adjusted biomarker levels were related to patients' genetic profile, clinical progression, and comorbidities, and compared with controls. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed using receiver operating characteristic analyses.

resultsNfL levels were significantly elevated in patients with FRDA younger than 40 years, showing a distinct age-dependent trajectory: levels declined with age in FRDA but increased in controls. Longitudinal data indicated annual NfL reductions between 8% (children) and 13% (young adults < 35 years). This result is discussed in the context of other neurodegenerative conditions, with FRDA being a rare case where NfL levels decrease over time before the age of 40 years. In contrast, tau was consistently elevated across all age groups in FRDA.

conclusionsNfL is a sensitive biomarker in early FRDA but decreases with age, converging with control values after 35-40 years. This age-dependent pattern must be considered when interpreting the effect of interventions in clinical trials. Especially in younger (age < 10 years) or presymptomatic patients and control subjects, additional longitudinal sampling is warranted. Elevated tau levels suggest involvement in underlying disease pathophysiology. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Indexed as

BiomarkersFriedreich AtaxiaGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinNeurofilament Proteinstau ProteinsUbiquitin ThiolesteraseAdolescentAdultAgedChildDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultBiomarkersGFAP protein, humanGlial Fibrillary Acidic Proteinneurofilament protein LNeurofilament Proteinstau ProteinsUbiquitin ThiolesteraseataxiabiomarkersFriedreich's ataxianeurofilament light

Identifiers

PMID40498047
PMCPMC12485593

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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.