title: Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain levels: marker of progression to generalized amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light chain (NFL) levels could predict the time to generalization (TTG) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cerebrospinal fluid NFL levels of 37 cases of sporadic ALS were measured and the time of symptom spreading from spinal or bulbar localization to both (TTG) was evaluated in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a short TTG in patients with high NFL levels (log-rank test chi-squared = 19.4, P < 0.0001). In a multivariate regression model patients with NFL levels above the median had an eight-fold higher risk of generalization (adjusted hazard ratio 7.9, 95% confidence interval 2.9-21.4, P < 0.0001) compared with those with NFL levels below the median.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that in sporadic ALS NFL, a marker of neurodegeneration, is correlated with TTG, a clinical intermediate parameter of survivorship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, Unit of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Bari, c/o Pia Fondazione Card. G. Panico, Tricase (Lecce), Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tortelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Copetti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggieri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capozzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Errico
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mastrapasqua
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zoccolella
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Simone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Logroscino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; C044882:neurofilament protein L
keywords: ALS; CSF; biomarkers