Correlation analysis of serum neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Q: How were serum neurofilament light chain and GFAP levels measured in this study?

Serum NFL and GFAP levels were detected using the single-molecule array (Simoa) technique on a fully automated Simoa SR-X platform.

Q: What were the main findings regarding NFL and GFAP levels in ALS patients versus healthy controls?

ALS patients had significantly higher serum NFL and GFAP levels than healthy controls.

Q: Do serum NFL and GFAP relate to ALS disease progression?

Yes. Serum NFL and GFAP levels correlated with the duration of disease, indicating a positive relationship with disease progression.

Sep 30, 2026

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Neurofilament light chain (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are evaluated as biomarkers for diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and tracking disease progression. Serum NFL and GFAP were quantified in 12 ALS patients and 12 healthy controls using the single-molecule array (Simoa) technique. ALS patients showed markedly higher NFL and GFAP concentrations than controls, and both markers correlated with disease duration. The study supports diagnostic potential but notes that specificity requires additional disease-control cohorts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Correlation analysis of serum biomarkers in ALS

Background on NFL and GFAP

Study objects and methods

Study objects

Methods

[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports) OPEN Correlation analysis of serum neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Chunbo Ji1, Pankui Li2, Siqing Ma3, Jinlan Li2, Jie Zhou2, Jianying Zhu2, Danyang Dong2, Tiejun Yang2 & Ping Yang1􀀍 Neurofilament light chain (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are considered to be a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and assessment of disease progression. To investigate the correlation between serum neurofilament light chain protein (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) . Serum NFL and GFAP levels were measured in 12 ALS patients and 12 healthy controls (HC) using the Single-molecule array (Simoa) technique. Serum NFL and GFAP levels in ALS patients were 81.49 ± 47.06 pg/mL and 104.42 ± 37.31 pg/mL, respectively, significantly higher than those in healthy controls (9.21 ± 3.05 pg/mLand 57.71 ± 11.64 pg/mL; P< 0.001) . Serum NFL and GFAP levels in ALS patients were correlated with the duration of the disease as respectively (r = 0.746, P = 0.005; r = 0.668, P = 0.018) . In this study, we investigated the diagnostic value of serum NFL and GFAP levels in theALS population and their clinical significance using the Simoa technique. The results showed that serum NFL and GFAP levels may be potential biomarkers for ALS diagnosis, and is positively correlated with disease progression. However, its diagnostic specificity awaits further studies that include disease controls. Keywords Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Neurofilament light chain, Glial fibrillary acidic protein, Singlemolecule array Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the cerebral motor cortex, brainstem and corticospinal tracts1. It is one of the most common types of Motor neuron disease (MND), others include Progressive bulbar paralysis (PBP), Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) and Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)1,2. The main clinical manifestation of ALS is the involvement of both upper and lower motor neurons. In recent years, some studies have shown that the serum NFL levels of ALS patients are significantly higher than those of normal subjects; especially in the early stage of ALS, the increase in NFL levels is more pronounced, which may be related to the faster axonal degeneration and degeneration of neurons in the early stage of the disease3. It has also been shown that serum GFAP levels are significantly elevated in ALS patients compared to healthy individuals, especially when expressed differently in different subtypes of motor neuron disease4. Neurofilaments (NFs) are important components of nerve fibers and were first found in neuronal cells. NFs are widely distributed in the cytoplasm of neuronal cells under electron microscopy, with a diameter of about 10 nm, and are in the form of thin filaments. NFs localized in the dendrites and the periphery of nucleus are curved in morphology, while those in the axon are in a straight and parallel arrangement. Neurofilament proteins not only maintain the morphology and diameter of axons, but also play an important role in maintaining cellular morphology and regulating axoplasmic transport, as well as increasing the speed of nerve signaling in myelinated nerve fibers. Neurofilament light chain (NFL) is the main component of neurofilament protein, a marker of axonal damage. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the main intermediate filament protein of mature astrocytes, which are the most numerous glial cells in the central nervous system, and has the function of regulating the stability of cytoskeletal structure, maintaining the mechanical potential of glial cells, and maintaining energy metabolism, 1Department of Neurology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical Universit

FAQs

How were serum neurofilament light chain and GFAP levels measured in this study?

Serum NFL and GFAP levels were detected using the single-molecule array (Simoa) technique on a fully automated Simoa SR-X platform.

What were the main findings regarding NFL and GFAP levels in ALS patients versus healthy controls?

ALS patients had significantly higher serum NFL and GFAP levels than healthy controls.

Do serum NFL and GFAP relate to ALS disease progression?

Yes. Serum NFL and GFAP levels correlated with the duration of disease, indicating a positive relationship with disease progression.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Callum