Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41062916›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association2025

Combining plasma neurofilament light chain and frontotemporal atrophy improves differentiation of bvFTD from primary psychiatric disorders.

Sean Coulborn, Ashlin R K Roy, Andrzej Sokolowski, Noah G Cryns, Argentina Lario Lago, Yann Cobigo, Julio C Rojas, Salvatore Spina, Lea T Grinberg, Katherine P Rankin and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Depression and apathy in frontotemporal dementia: a short assessment of facts and outlook.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. 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

19 authors.

Sean CoulbornMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8636-0864
Ashlin R K RoyMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Andrzej SokolowskiMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Noah G CrynsMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Argentina Lario LagoMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Yann CobigoMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Julio C RojasMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Salvatore SpinaMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Lea T GrinbergMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Katherine P RankinMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Adam L BoxerMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Andrew D KrystalDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
R Scott MackinDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Joel H KramerMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Bruce L MillerMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
William W SeeleyMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Howard J RosenMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Lawren VandeVredeMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
David C PerryMemory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.

Funding

Technology and Remote Assessment CoreU19AG063911 · NIA · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI ADAM L. BOXER, Bradley F Boeve · 2019 to 2026
$120.9M
National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD)U24AG021886 · NIA · INDIANA UNIV-PURDUE UNIV AT INDIANAPOLIS · PI TATIANA M. FOROUD · 2002 to 2026
$119.8M
TDP-43 Loss-of-Function: Biology to BiomarkersP01AG019724 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Jennifer Merrilees · 2002 to 2026
$67.2M
Research Education ComponentP30AG062422 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Serggio Carlo Lanata · 2019 to 2026
$36.9M
PrPSc SPECIFIC INTERACTION WITH NOVEL PrP-Fc FUSION PROTEINSP50AG023501 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI MILLER, BRUCE L · 2004 to 2018
$27.1M
Longitudinal Evaluation of Familial Frontotemporal Dementia Subjects (LEFFTDS)U01AG045390 · NIA · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI BOEVE, BRADLEY F, ROSEN, HOWARD J · 2014 to 2018
$16.9M
Training - The Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Clinical Research ConsortiumU54NS092089 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI BOXER, ADAM L. · 2014 to 2018
$6.4M
Diagnostic and prognostic certainty in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementiaR01AG062758 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI PERRY, DAVID C · 2020 to 2025
$4.0M
Reward processing in genetic frontotemporal dementia and mood disordersR01AG059794 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI PERRY, DAVID C · 2019 to 2023
$4.0M
ALLFTD Consortium U19: AG063911National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias U24 AG21886National Institute of Neurological Diseases and StrokeNCATS NIH HHS U01 AG045390NIA NIH HHS P01 AG019724NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062422NIA NIH HHS P50 AG023501NIA NIH HHS R01 AG059794NIA NIH HHS R01 AG062758NIA NIH HHS U01 AG045390NIA NIH HHS U19 AG063911NIA NIH HHS U24 AG021886NIH HHS R01AG0597940NIH HHS R01AG062758NINDS NIH HHS U54 NS092089Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the Bluefield Project to Cure FTD
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDistinguishing behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from primary psychiatric disorders (PPDs) remains challenging due to overlapping clinical presentation. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a biomarker of neuronal damage that is elevated in neurodegenerative diseases. This study assessed the effectiveness of NfL and atrophy in differentiating bvFTD from PPDs.

methodsAtrophy maps from frontotemporal regions were generated for 55 patients with autopsy-confirmed frontotemporal lobar degeneration (bvFTD-FTLD), 24 mood disorder patients, and eight bvFTD patients later determined to be non-neurodegenerative (bvFTD-nonND). Logistic regression was employed to assess the discriminatory abilities of atrophy and NfL levels between bvFTD-FTLD and PPD (Mood Disorders + bvFTD-nonND).

resultsBoth atrophy (AUC = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [95% CI:  0.79 to 0.94]) and NfL (AUC = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81 to 0.96) showed significant predictive ability, which improved when combined (AUC = 0.93, 95% CI:  0.87 to 0.99). Misclassification occurred mostly in low atrophy pathological subtypes and PPD with borderline NfL and frontotemporal volume.

conclusionCombining NfL with atrophy enhances differentiation, but additional markers are needed. HIGHLIGHTS: Atrophy and NfL had comparable effectiveness in differentiating bvFTD from PPD. Combining NfL and frontotemporal atrophy significantly improved predictive accuracy. NfL, in addition to atrophy, may be beneficial in screening for neurodegeneration in ambiguous cases.

Indexed as

Frontotemporal DementiaMental DisordersMood DisordersNeurofilament ProteinsAgedAtrophyBiomarkersBrainDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkersneurofilament protein LNeurofilament Proteinsbehavioral variant frontotemporal dementiabiological markersfrontotemporal dementiafrontotemporal lobar degenerationneurofilament light chainneuroimagingprimary psychiatric disorders

Identifiers

PMID41062916
PMCPMC12507538

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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.