The Eye: A Window to Neurodegeneration?
Detecting neurodegeneration with a protein biomarker found in blood, CSF – and now the eye
They say the eye is the window to the soul, but could it also show neurodegenerative disease? Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is being investigated as a potential biomarker of neurodegeneration after it was found in cerebrospinal fluid and blood – but researchers at Boston Medical Center have also detected the protein in the vitreous humor (1).
Collecting eye fluid samples from ophthalmic surgery patients, they investigated the presence and association of NfL with known biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease. NfL was positively associated with t-tau, amyloid beta, and select inflammatory and vascular proteins in the vitreous humor. It was not associated with existing eye conditions, suggesting it is not influenced by eye disease.
Although further research is needed to validate whether ophthalmic NfL is a definitive indicator of neurodegeneration, the authors hope their findings will help detect disease before irreversible atrophy begins.
- ML Subramanian et al., Alz Res Ther, 12, 1 (2020). PMID: 32943089.
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