[Neurofilament light chain as a tool for assessing disease activity and treatment response in Multiple Sclerosis].

Authors

Hernan Inojosa, Katja Akgün, Lars Masanneck, Sven Günther Meuth, Jens Kuhle, Stefan Bittner, Michael Khalil, Marc Pawlitzki, Tjalf Ziemssen

Published in

Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie. Jul 13, 2026. Epub Jul 13, 2026.

Abstract

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), a neuronal structural protein, is released upon neuroaxonal damage and correlates with clinical and imaging activity, brain atrophy, and disability progression, though it is not disease-specific. This review addresses measurement methods (SiMoA, automated platforms), pre-analytics/matrix effects, and central confounders (esp. age, BMI/volume of distribution, renal function, intercurrent events), emphasizing standardization via age- and BMI-corrected reference data using Z-scores or percentiles.Clinically, sNfL supports baseline risk stratification and treatment planning, serial treatment monitoring as an early warning signal for subclinical disease activity, the differentiation of relapse versus pseudo-relapse, the assessment of progressive courses, and decision-making in special situations (pregnancy, older age, de-escalation). Serial measurements are superior to single measurements for longitudinal assessment. Priorities include assay harmonization and prospective studies on NfL-guided, multimodal decision strategies.

PMID:
42442405
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.

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