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Updated: Oct 26, 2025
Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
Published on: November 30, 2015
Characterizing plasma NfL in a community-dwelling multi-ethnic cohort: Results from the HABLE study
Sid O'Bryant1, Melissa Petersen1,2, James Hall1,3
1Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Introduction:
No large-scale characterizations of neurofilament light chain (NfL) have been conducted in diverse populations.
Methods:
Baseline data were analyzed among n = 890 Mexican Americans and n = 813 non-Hispanic Whites from the multi-ethnic Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study. Plasma NfL was measured on the Simoa platform.
Results:
In unadjusted models, NfL was significantly associated with age (P < .001), hypertension (P < .001), dyslipidemia (P = .02), and diabetes (P < .001). Covarying for age and sex, NfL was associated with neurodegeneration (P < .001) and global amyloid burden levels (P = .02) in a subset with available data. NfL levels were significantly associated with diagnostic groups (Normal Cognition [NC], mild cognitive impairment [MCI], Dementia; P < .001); however, there was no cut-score that yielded acceptable diagnostic accuracy. NfL levels produced a sensitivity of 0.60 and specificity of 0.78 with negative predictive value of 89% for detecting amyloid positivity.
Discussion:
Plasma NfL levels are significantly impacted by age and medical co-morbidities that are common among older adults, which complicate its utility as a diagnostic biomarker.
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