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Review
. 2019 Jan 18:9:1167.
doi: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01167. eCollection 2018.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Neurofilaments in ALS

Koen Poesen  1   2 , Philip Van Damme  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Neurofilaments in ALS

Koen Poesen et al. Front Neurol. .

Abstract

There is a need for biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to support the diagnosis of the disease, to predict disease progression and to track disease activity and treatment responses. Over the last decade multiple studies have investigated the potential of neurofilament levels, both in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, as biomarker for ALS. The most widely studied neurofilament subunits are neurofilament light chain (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH). Neurofilament levels are reflecting neuronal injury and therefore potentially of value in ALS and other neurological disorders. In this mini-review, we summarize and discuss the available evidence about neurofilaments as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for human ALS.

Keywords: NfL; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; cerebrospinal fluid; frontotemporal dementia; neurofilament; pNfH; plasma; serum.

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