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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Imaging and Analysis of Neurofilament Transport in Excised Mouse Tibial Nerve
Published on: August 31, 2020
Serum neurofilament light chain in progressive supranuclear palsy
Laura Donker Kaat1, Lieke H Meeter2, Wan Zheng Chiu2
1Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases. Elevated NfL levels in CSF and blood have been observed in a growing number of neurodegenerative disorders, including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. We studied serum NfL levels in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in relation to disease severity and survival.
Methods:
Serum NfL levels were determined cross-sectionally in a retrospective cohort of 131 patients with PSP and 95 healthy controls. Detailed clinical examination was performed and disease severity was assessed by several rating scales.
Results:
We found that serum NfL levels in PSP were twice as high as those in controls, and that NfL levels correlated with worse functional, motor and cognitive functioning. During follow-up, 119 PSP patients had died, and higher NfL levels were associated with a shorter survival.
Conclusion:
This study provides evidence that serum NfL is a relevant and promising biomarker in PSP for disease severity, and may be used as a prognostic tool to predict survival in clinical practice.
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