Serum neurofilament light chain: a predictive marker for outcomes following mild-to-moderate ischemic stroke

BackgroundBiomarkers that reflect brain damage or predict functional outcomes may aid in guiding personalized stroke treatments. Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) emerges as a promising candidate for fulfilling this role.MethodsThis prospective, observational cohort investigation included 319 acute ischemic stroke (IS) patients. The endpoints were the incidence of early neurological deterioration (END, an elevation of two or more points in the National Institute of Health stroke scale score within a week of hospitalization compared with the baseline) and functional outcome at 3 months (an mRS score of >2 at 3 months was categorized as an unfavorable/poor functional outcome). The association of sNfL, which was assessed within 24 h of admission, with END and unfavorable functional outcomes at follow-up was assessed via multivariate logistic regression, whereas the predictive value of sNfL for unfavorable functional outcomes and END was elucidated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).ResultsOf 319 IS individuals, 89 (27.90%) suffered from END. sNfL not only reflects the severity of stroke measured by NIHSS score (p