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. 2021 May 17:13:665981.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.665981. eCollection 2021.

Circulating Neurofilament Light Predicts Cognitive Decline in Patients With Post-stroke Subjective Cognitive Impairment

Jian-Hong Wang  1 , Jie Huang  1 , Fu-Qiang Guo  1 , Fang Wang  2 , Shu Yang  1 , Neng-Wei Yu  1 , Bo Zheng  3 , Jian Wang  3
Affiliations

Circulating Neurofilament Light Predicts Cognitive Decline in Patients With Post-stroke Subjective Cognitive Impairment

Jian-Hong Wang et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background: Subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) is common after acute ischemic stroke and adversely affects the quality of life. SCI is associated with an increased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Identifying biomarkers which could predict long-term cognitive outcomes of post-stroke SCI is of importance for early intervention. This study aims to investigate the association between circulating neurofilament light (NfL) and long-term cognitive function in patients with post-stroke SCI.

Methods: This longitudinal study recruited 304 patients with post-stroke SCI, and serum NfL levels were determined at baseline. These patients were followed up for 12 months for the observation of cognitive change. Cognitive performances were assessed by a Chinese version of the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-40 (TICS-40) scale.

Results: The patients were divided into a progression group (as determined by decreased TICS-40 scores) and a stable group (as determined by increased or unchanged TICS-40 scores). The progression group had significantly higher serum NfL levels than the stable group at baseline. Serum NfL levels were predictive for longitudinal cognitive decline during follow-up.

Conclusion: These findings imply that circulating NfL could predict the long-term cognitive change of patients with post-stroke SCI.

Keywords: acute ischemic stroke; biomarker; neurofilament light; prognosis; subjective cognitive impairment (SCI).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Eligibility and follow-up of patients. In total, 513 patients were screened for eligibility for participation. A total of 123 patients refused to participate, 22 patients had pre-stroke cognitive impairment, 56 patients had comorbidities which may affect serum NfL concentrations, and eight patients were deceased during follow-up. Therefore, 304 patients finally completed the follow-up.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Serum NfL concentrations in patients with and without a longitudinal cognitive decline. (A) Serum NfL concentrations are significantly higher in the progression group in comparison with the stable group. Unpaired t test. (B) Serum NfL can differentiate the progression group from the stable group. Receiver operating characteristic analysis. Cutoff value = 79.31 pg/ml.
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