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Objective: To study a role of serum neurofilament light chains (sNFL) in assessment of course and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the population of patients with MS in the Tomsk region., Material and Methods: The study involved 93 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) ( n RRMS =75, n SPMS =18). The study was carried out in a two-stage design: the first stage was a cross-sectional study for the entire sample; the second stage was a prospective observation with two visits for patients with relapse. sNFL concentration was determined by solid-phase ELISA., Results: There was no statistically significant difference between RRMS and SPMS, and relapse and remission groups in terms of sNFL levels. Patients with a MS duration exceeding 14 years had higher rates of sNFL than those with a shorter duration ( p =0.02). The subjects of the second study stage showed a decrease in sNFL from 2.05 (1.86; 2.19) pg/ml to 1.92 (1.87; 2.04) pg/ml ( p =0.005), and slowdown in sNFL reduction correlated with the severity of cognitive impairment (k=0.52; p <0.05)., Conclusion: Dynamic monitoring of sNFL allows the evaluation of the activity of the disease, as well as making an assumption about the compensatory possibilities of subsequent recovery.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical features and the level of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in groups of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) differentiated by the genotypes of BDNF polymorphism (rs6265)., Material and Methods: The level of serum BDNF in the biomarkers' multiplex panel of neurodegenerative diseases (HNDG3MAG-36K) was assessed in 134 PD patients. Allele discrimination was carried out by real-time PCR using TaqMan probes for the analysis of BDNF rs6265 polymorphism in groups of patients and controls ( n =192) matched for sex, age and ethnicity., Results: Comparing the distribution of rs6265 genotypes and alleles between groups of patients and controls no significant differences were found ( p >0.05). Serum BDNF levels varied significantly by genotype (rs6265) among PD patients. Minimum mean serum BDNF level (320.1±164.6 pg/ml) was noted for individuals with the AA genotype, which significantly differs from the corresponding indicator among individuals with GA (2944.2±1590.6 pg/ml; p =0.0001) and GG genotypes (2949.4±1620.6 pg/ml; p =3.9×10 -5 ). The concentration of BDNF significantly differed between patients with different forms of PD ( p =0.0007) and increased as the stage of the disease progressed according to Hoehn and Yahr staging scale ( p =1.0×10 -6 )., Conclusion: The BDNF rs6265 polymorphism was not associated with the development of PD in the studied population. The variability of the mean serum BDNF level was established depending on the genotype of the BDNF polymorphism in PD patients and a number of clinical features.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and laboratory correlation of biomarkers with anti- and pro-apoptotic activity with the severity of motor and non-motor symptoms depending on the progression rate of Parkinson's disease (PD)., Material and Methods: A wide range of non-motor symptoms (emotional-affective, cognitive, psychotic and behavioral disorders, fatigue, sleep disorders and autonomic disorders) was evaluated using validated scales and a number of serum neuromarkers responsible for neuroplasticity and neuronal survival processes (BDNF, PDGF, cathepsin D) in 71 patients with PD (mean age 65 (55; 70) years, disease duration 7 (4; 9) years, age of onset 57 (49; 62) years)., Results: The concentration of biomarkers (BDNF, PDGF and cathepsin D) was the lowest in the group of patients with a rapid PD progression rate ( p <0.001, p =0.001 and p =0.031, respectively), the severity of motor and most non-motor symptoms was higher ( p =0.023 and p =0.001, respectively) compared to middle and slow progression rate. There were correlations between BDNF concentration and the severity of depression ( r =-0.63, p <0.001), apathy ( r =-0.48, p <0.001), impulsive behavioral disorders ( r =0.500, p <0.001), level of cognitive functions ( r =0.54, p <0.001), motor symptoms ( r =-0.43, p <0.001); between PDGF level and the severity of motor manifestations of PD ( r =-0.30, p =0.011), depression ( r =-0.70, p <0.001), apathy ( r =-0.460, p <0.001), the degree of severity of behavioral disorders ( r =0.742, p <0.001). No significant correlations were observed between the level of cathepsin D and the severity of clinical manifestations of PD, which indicates the connection of cathepsin D with the general pathogenesis of PD., Conclusion: The possibility of using serum proteins of the neurotrophin subfamily and the protein associated with autophagy, cathepsin D, as biomarkers that determine the prognosis of PD, is considered.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a high degree of heterogeneity due to course and prognosis. More than half of MS patients do not discuss their long-term prognosis with the doctor. At the same time, most patients consider the importance of personalized prognosis for decisions in family planning, career, and medical interventions. Clinical markers are used to determine the prognosis in routine clinical practice. However, it is nominally divided into positive and negative factors. It allows making a general conclusion about the MS prognosis. Neuroimaging and biological markers are used mostly for research purposes. But also they are already actively used in clinical trials for endpoint`s investigation. The review describes studies investigating prognostic clinical, neuroimaging, and biological markers.

Background: Motor recovery after stroke is based on neuronal plasticity and the structural reorganization of the brain. Questions are debated about the proper moment to start rehabilitation in the acute period of stroke, the significance of rehabilitation interventions during the so-called "plastic window", and the advantages of modern and traditional programs. The aims of this study were to evaluate the role of different rehabilitation strategies and their combinations for motor recovery and the impact on functional disability by way of neurological and functional outcomes 3 months after ischemic stroke., Methods: We used three rehabilitation approaches: early rehabilitation from the first day of stroke (Phase I), traditional exercise programs (Phase II), and an author's new method of biofeedback rehabilitation using motion sensors and augmented reality (AR) rehabilitation (Phase III). Clinical and functional outcomes were measured on the 90th day after stroke. We developed algorithms for quantifying the quality of movements during the execution of tasks in the motor domains of the AR rehabilitation program., Results: Phase I of rehabilitation led to an improvement in functional independence, and the recovery of motor functions of the extremities with an absence of mortality and clinical deterioration. AR rehabilitation led to significant improvement both with respect to clinical and functional scores on scales and to variables reflecting the quality of movements. Patients who were actively treated during Phases II and III achieved the same final level of motor recovery and functional outcomes as that of participants who had only received AR rehabilitation during Phase III. Patients who underwent outpatient observation after Phase I showed a deficit of spontaneous motor recovery on the 90th day after stroke., Conclusions: Early rehabilitation was successful but was not enough; rehabilitation programs should be carried out throughout the entire "sensitive period" of poststroke plasticity. The newly developed AR biofeedback motion training is effective and safe as a separate rehabilitation method in the early recovery period of moderately severe, hemiparalytic, and ischemic stroke. These two rehabilitation approaches must be applied together or after each other, not instead of each other, as shown in clinical practice.

Background: brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may play a role during neurorehabilitation following ischemic stroke. This study aimed to elucidate the possible role of BDNF during early recovery from ischemic stroke assisted by motor training., Methods: fifty patients were included after acute recovery from ischemic stroke: 21 first received classical rehabilitation followed by 'motor rehabilitation using motion sensors and augmented reality' (AR-rehabilitation), 14 only received AR-rehabilitation, and 15 were only observed. Serum BDNF levels were measured on the first day of stroke, on the 14th day, before AR-based rehabilitation (median, 45th day), and after the AR-based rehabilitation (median, 82nd day). Motor impairment was quantified clinically using the Fugl-Meyer scale (FMA); functional disability and activities of daily living (ADL) were measured using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS). For comparison, serum BDNF was measured in 50 healthy individuals., Results: BDNF levels were found to significantly increase during the phase with AR-based rehabilitation. The pattern of the sequentially measured BDNF levels was similar in the treated patients. Untreated patients had significantly lower BDNF levels at the endpoint., Conclusions: the fluctuations of BDNF levels are not consistently related to motor improvement but seem to react to active treatment. Without active rehabilitation treatment, BDNF tends to decrease.

Background: The issue of the diagnostic significance and clinical value of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) in the acute period of stroke remains controversial. Therefore, it is advisable to study the correlation of biomarkers with the clinical characteristics of stroke in the time period of early recovery., Objective: To monitor NSE and BDNF levels in peripheral blood, to analyze the clinical and laboratory correlations in patients with ischemic stroke at the stages of medical rehabilitation in the early recovery period., Material and Methods: Forty-nine patients with ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery were examined. The observation period is 90 days. Observation Points are Day 1; Day 14; Day 45; Day 90. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Fugle-Meyer Scale (FMA), the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were administered. NSE was determined in blood serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, BDNF was analyzed on a multiplex analyzer., Results and Conclusion: NSE Day 1 in patients was significantly higher than in the comparison group ( p Day1-comparison group <0.001) with a trend to a maximum decrease on the 90th day of stroke ( p Day1-90 <0.001). BDNF Day 1 turned out to be lower than in the comparison group ( p Day1-comparison group =0.006) and significantly increased by the 14th day of the stroke ( p Day1-14 <0.001; p Day14-comparison group =0.637). A negative correlation was found between a decrease in NSE Day1 4 and an increase in BDNF Day1 4 ( r = -0.349; p =0.05). A positive correlation was found between an increase in BDNF Day1 4 and a decrease in mRS scores Day9 0 ( r =0.499, p =0.035). Outcomes in patients in group 1 (after stages I and II of rehabilitation) on the assessment scales were significantly better than in patients discharged after stage I for outpatient monitoring - group 2 ( p <0.05). In group 1, BDNF Day9 0 did not differ from BDNF Day1 4 ( p Day14-90-Group1 =0.17), and in group 2 it was significantly lower by the end of the early recovery period ( p Day14-90-Group2 =0.002).

Pathophysiological processes in multiple sclerosis frequently not diagnosed by clinicians become available for analysis only on the basis of paraclinical data (biomarkers). Nowadays neurofilament light chain can be defined as a promising biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS). Neurofilaments are a structural part of normal neuronal processes consisting of light, intermediate and heavy chains. However, a damage of neurons such as neurodegeneration or axonal damage causes the escape of neurofilaments into extracellular space. Cutting-edge highly sensitive methods make it possible to detect neurofilament light chains not only in the cerebrospinal fluid but also in the blood serum thus opening the opportunities to utilize them in routine diagnosis in clinical practice. This review comprises existing data on the possible opportunities for research of serum neurofilament light chains in terms of exacerbations, effectiveness of basic therapy, assessment of individual disability, the atrophy of central nervous system structures. Also, there is some information on comparison of two methods: routine MRI of the brain with the contrast agents and detection of serum neurofilament light chains.

Objectives: To study possibilities of immunological and electrophysiological methods for the diagnosis of paraneoplastic polyneuropathy in cancer., Methods: We studied 88 cancer patients using electromyography and immunological assay (serum neuronal antibodies)., Results: A symmetrical, distal, sensory-motor, axonal-demyelinating form of polyneuropathy can develop in breast cancer and small cell lung cancer. Onconeural antibodies were detected in the serum of more than half of study participants as well as in some healthy donors. Symptoms of polyneuropathy appeared earlier than the diagnosed tumor., Conclusion: The diagnostic value of the methods used for the early diagnosis of breast cancer and small cell lung cancer is emphasized.