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. 2015 Jul;2(7):748-55.
doi: 10.1002/acn3.212. Epub 2015 May 25.

CSF neurofilament light chain reflects corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

Ricarda A L Menke  1 , Elizabeth Gray  1 , Ching-Hua Lu  2 , Jens Kuhle  3 , Kevin Talbot  1 , Andrea Malaspina  2 , Martin R Turner  1
Affiliations

CSF neurofilament light chain reflects corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

Ricarda A L Menke et al. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to white matter tract pathology. A core signature involving the corticospinal tracts (CSTs) has been identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Raised neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thought to reflect axonal damage in a range of neurological disorders. The relationship between these two measures was explored.

Methods: CSF and serum NfL concentrations and DTI acquired at 3 Tesla on the same day were obtained from ALS patients (n = 25 CSF, 40 serum) and healthy, age-similar controls (n = 17 CSF, 25 serum). Within-group correlations between NfL and DTI measures of microstructural integrity in major white matter tracts (CSTs, superior longitudinal fasciculi [SLF], and corpus callosum) were performed using tract-based spatial statistics.

Results: NfL levels were higher in patients compared to controls. CSF levels correlated with clinical upper motor neuron burden and rate of disease progression. Higher NfL levels were significantly associated with lower DTI fractional anisotropy and increased radial diffusivity in the CSTs of ALS patients, but not in controls.

Interpretation: Elevated CSF and serum NfL is, in part, a result of CST degeneration in ALS. This highlights the wider potential for combining neurochemical and neuroimaging-based biomarkers in neurological disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatterplots of CSF NfL concentration and UMN score (A) and progression rate (B) in the ALS patients. CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; NfL, neurofilament light chain protein; UMN, upper motor neuron; ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Significant TBSS correlations between CSF NfL concentration and DTI measures in the ALS (A) and in the control (B) group. TBSS results are overlaid onto the intersection of the skeleton with the respective ROI (green) and the group’s mean FA image (greyscale). TBSS, tract-based spatial statistics; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; NfL, neurofilament light chain protein; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ROI, region-of-interest; RD, radial diffusivity; FA, fractional anisotropy; MD, mean diffusivity; P, posterior; A, anterior; R, right; L, left. x, y, z = MNI coordinates.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scatterplots illustrating the relationship between CSF NfL concentration and DTI measures in the patient group: FA in the left (A) and right (B) CST; RD in the left (C) and right (D) CST. CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; NfL, neurofilament light chain protein; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; CST, corticospinal tract; FA, fractional anisotropy; RD, radial diffusivity.
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