Objective: To investigate the association between serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of NfL and GFAP and dopaminergic degeneration measured by ¹²³I-ioflupane SPECT (DaTSCAN) in de novo PD patients

Background: Neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration are key pathophysiological mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) reflect axonal damage and astroglial activation, respectively. However, their relationship with dopaminergic degeneration assessed by functional neuroimaging in early PD remains incompletely characterised

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted  between December 2021 and December 2024. Demographic, clinical data, serum and CSF NfL and GFAP levels, and striatal binding ratios (SBRs) derived from DaTSCANÒ were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using R

Results: 36 participants were included (11 controls and 25 PD patients; mean age 60.5 ± 12.0 years; 38.9% women). In de novo PD patients, serum NfL and GFAP levels were significantly correlated (r = 0.67, p = 0.0002). Both serum biomarkers showed significant negative correlations with SBRs, both ipsilateral and contralateral to the clinically most affected side (correlation coefficients ranging from −0.47 to −0.50; all p < 0.02). No significant correlations were observed between MDS-UPDRS part III scores and biomarkers, and no significant between-group differences in NfL levels were detected

Conclusion: Higher serum NfL and GFAP levels were associated with more severe dopaminergic denervation on DaTSCANÒ in de novo PD, supporting their potential as minimally invasive biomarkers of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammatory processes in early PD

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/neuroinflammation-and-neurodegeneration-biomarkers-in-parkinsons-disease-integration-of-neuroimaging-and-fluid-markers/