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Data from: Blood NfL: a biomarker for disease severity and progression in Parkinson’s disease

Cite this dataset

Lin, Chin-Hsien et al. (2020). Data from: Blood NfL: a biomarker for disease severity and progression in Parkinson’s disease [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j0m3h29

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels were associated with motor and cognitive progression in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: This prospective follow-up study enrolled 178 participants, including 116 with PD, 22 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 40 healthy controls. We measured plasma NfL levels with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Patients with PD received evaluations of motor and cognition, at baseline and at a mean follow-up interval of 3 years. Changes in the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) part III motor score and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score were used to assess motor and cognition progression. Results: Plasma fL levels were significantly higher in MSA than in PD and healthy groups (35.8±6.2 pg/ml, 17.6±2.8 pg/ml, and 10.6±2.3 pg/ml, respectively; P<0.001). In the PD group, NfL levels were significantly elevated in patients with advanced Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage and patients with dementia (PDD) (P<0.001). NfL levels were modestly correlated with UPDRS part III scores (r=0.42, 95% CI: 0.46-0.56, P<0.001). After a mean follow-up of 3.4±1.2 years, a Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, disease duration and baseline motor or cognitive status showed that higher baseline NfL levels were associated with higher risks for either motor or cognition progression (P=0.029 and P=0.015, respectively). Conclusions: Plasma NfL levels correlated with disease severity and progression in terms of both motor and cognitive functions in PD. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that plasma NfL levels distinguish PD and MSA, and is a surrogate biomarker for PD progression.

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Location

Taiwan
Taipei