ArticlePloS one2026
Retrospective analysis of neurofilament-light chain in patients with inflammatory bowel disease - A pilot study.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic inflammatory bowel diseases, encompassing Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are characterized by persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. While traditionally regarded as confined to the gut, the systemic nature of inflammatory bowel disease has been increasingly recognized. The nervous system has garnered particular attention due to molecular and clinical evidence suggesting a potential interplay between inflammatory bowel disease and neurodegenerative diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease patients have a higher risk of developing neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, all-cause dementia, and multiple sclerosis. Still, causative molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has been established as a disease-independent biomarker of axonal damage reflecting neurodegeneration.
methodsIn this pilot study, we assessed molecular evidence of neurodegeneration by measuring serum NfL in a single-molecule array using the HD-X SIMOA platform (Quanterix, MA, USA) and employing correlation with clinical data in forty-nine patients with histopathologically confirmed inflammatory bowel disease. In total, 24 Crohn's disease patients, 25 ulcerative colitis patients, and 23 controls, aged 18-79 years, were included.
resultsWe found an age-dependency of serological NfL levels, however, no apparent differences between disease groups and controls. Crohn's disease patients showed a slower age-dependent incline in serological NfL compared to control subjects (p = 0.03). No correlation of NfL with disease duration, disease severity, or inflammatory bowel disease treatment was found.
conclusionsA slower age-dependent increase in serological NfL levels was found in Crohn's disease patients compared to control subjects. Larger studies assessing additional markers of neurodegeneration may be instrumental in addressing this question in the future.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.