Abstract
Background and Objectives To evaluate the usefulness of CSF and plasma neurofilament light (Nf-L) as a biomarker for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (HAM).
Methods Nf-L, CXCL10, and neopterin were measured by ELISA in 83 CSF samples obtained from 49 individuals living with HTLV-1/2. Plasma Nf-L was also measured by single molecule array. Results were correlated with duration of disease, age, mobility, CSF cell counts, CSF protein, and HTLV-1 proviral load.
Results Nf-L was detected in all CSF samples (median [range] = 575 [791.8–2,349] pg/mL) and positively correlated with markers of inflammation (CXCL10 (r = 0.733), neopterin (r = 0.499), cell count (r = 0.403), and protein levels (r = 0.693) in CSF; p < 0.0015). There was an inverse correlation between Nf-L and duration of disease (r = −0.584, p < 0.0001). Wheelchair-dependent patients had high concentrations of markers of inflammation and neuronal damage. Concentrations of CXCL10, neopterin, and Nf-L remained elevated in follow-up samples (mean follow-up 5.2 years). Nf-L in plasma correlated with concentration of Nf-L, neopterin, CXCL10, and protein in CSF.
Conclusions Nf-L in plasma and CSF has potential to be used as a biomarker of disease activity in HAM. Neuronal damage seems to be more intense early in disease but persists long term. Wheelchair-dependent patients have ongoing neuroinflammation.
Glossary
- HAM=
- HTLV-1–associated myelopathy;
- HTLV-1=
- human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1;
- Nf-L=
- neurofilament light;
- SIMOA=
- single molecule array
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/NN for full disclosures. Funding information is provided at the end of the article.
The Article Processing Charge was funded by the authors.
- Received October 25, 2020.
- Accepted in final form August 10, 2021.
- Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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