Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain: A Potential Biomarker for Neurological Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
dc.contributor.author | Azcue González, Naiara | |
dc.contributor.author | Tijero Merino, Beatriz | |
dc.contributor.author | Acera Gil, María Ángeles | |
dc.contributor.author | Pérez Garay, Raquel | |
dc.contributor.author | Fernández Valle, Tamara | |
dc.contributor.author | Ayo Mentxakatorre, Naia | |
dc.contributor.author | Ruiz López, Marta | |
dc.contributor.author | Lafuente Sánchez, José Vicente ![]() | |
dc.contributor.author | Gómez Esteban, Juan Carlos | |
dc.contributor.author | Del Pino Sáez, Rocío | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2024-07-30T10:42:30Z | |
dc.date.available | 2024-07-30T10:42:30Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2024-07-11 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Biomedicines 12(7) : (2024) // Article ID 1539 | es_ES |
dc.identifier.issn | 2227-9059 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10810/69087 | |
dc.description.abstract | Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disorder characterized by heterogeneous symptoms, which lack specific biomarkers for its diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels as a potential biomarker for ME/CFS and explore associations with cognitive, autonomic, and neuropathic symptoms. Here, 67 ME/CFS patients and 43 healthy controls (HCs) underwent comprehensive assessments, including neuropsychological evaluation, autonomic nervous system (ANS) testing, and plasma NfL level analysis. ME/CFS patients exhibited significantly higher plasma NfL levels compared to HC (F = 4.30, p < 0.05). Correlations were observed between NfL levels and cognitive impairment, particularly in visuospatial perception (r = −0.42; p ≤ 0.001), verbal memory (r = −0.35, p ≤ 0.005), and visual memory (r = −0.26; p < 0.05) in ME/CFS. Additionally, higher NfL levels were associated with worsened autonomic dysfunction in these patients, specifically in parasympathetic function (F = 9.48, p ≤ 0.003). In ME/CFS patients, NfL levels explained up to 17.2% of the results in cognitive tests. Unlike ME/CFS, in HC, NfL levels did not predict cognitive performance. Elevated plasma NfL levels in ME/CFS patients reflect neuroaxonal damage, contributing to cognitive dysfunction and autonomic impairment. These findings support the potential role of NfL as a biomarker for neurological dysfunction in ME/CFS. Further research is warranted to elucidate underlying mechanisms and clinical implications. | es_ES |
dc.description.sponsorship | This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI20/01076 and co-funded by the European Union, BIOEF through EITB maratoia (BIOS21/COV/006), and grants for health research projects from the Basque Government (2021111006). The first author received a pre-doctoral research grant from the Basque Government (PRE_2023_2_0138). | es_ES |
dc.language.iso | eng | es_ES |
dc.publisher | MDPI | es_ES |
dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | es_ES |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/es/ | |
dc.subject | autonomic nervous system | es_ES |
dc.subject | cognition | es_ES |
dc.subject | myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome | es_ES |
dc.subject | neurofilament light chain | es_ES |
dc.title | Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain: A Potential Biomarker for Neurological Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | es_ES |
dc.type | info:eu-repo/semantics/article | es_ES |
dc.date.updated | 2024-07-26T12:29:38Z | |
dc.rights.holder | © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). | es_ES |
dc.relation.publisherversion | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/7/1539 | es_ES |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.3390/biomedicines12071539 | |
dc.departamentoes | Neurociencias | |
dc.departamentoeu | Neurozientziak |
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).