Objective: The aim of the present study was to test whether plasma NF-L, FABP3, UCH-L1, and gray matter volumes can be used as prognostic biomarkers in PD.
Background: Early identification of the poor prognosis subtype by surrogate markers would be advantageous for planning treatments and care in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We have previously confirmed that plasma neurofilament light chain (NF-L), fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3), and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) levels were higher in PD patients than those of controls. In support of this notion, elevated levels of NF-L and FABP3 in CSF have been shown to be predictive of future dementia in PD patients. Furthermore, gray matter atrophy has been known to be associated with rapidly progressive subtype of PD patients. However, the predictive value of plasma NF-L, FABP3, UCH-L1 levels, and gray matter volumes in PD remains uncertain.
Method: Plasma samples and gray matter volumes at baseline from 81 PD patients were included in the present study. We performed an ultrasensitive biomarker assay using a single-molecule array (SIMOA) assay, a logistic regression analysis, Kaplan‒Meier curve analysis, and statistical parametric mapping 12 for a prospective study.
Results: A logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex revealed that plasma high NF-L levels [hazard ratio (HR), 7.3; 95% CI, 2.3–23.1; P<0.001], plasma high FABP3 levels (HR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.2–14.6; P<0.05), plasma high UCH-L1 levels (HR, 5; 95% CI, 1.5–16.3; P<0.01), and low gray matter volumes (HR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.4–17.4; P<0.01) at baseline predicted nursing care after four years. Kaplan‒Meier curve analysis of the cumulative risk of nursing care revealed that the groups with high plasma NF-L levels (P<0.0001), high plasma FABP3 levels (P<0.01), high plasma UCH-L1 levels (P<0.01), and low gray matter volumes (P<0.0001) at baseline had a significantly greater incidence.
Conclusion: Plasma NF-L, FABP3, UCH-L1 levels, and gray matter volumes may serve as prognostic biomarkers of PD. Although further validation in more patients is needed, these neurodegenerative-related proteins in plasma could be useful for prognostic prediction in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
H. Oizumi, T. Hasegawa, I. Kawahata, T. Totsune, Y. Sugimura, T. Baba, H. Tanaka, T. Takahashi, M. Yoshioka, T. Sekimori, K. Fukunaga, A. Takeda. Associations among blood biomarkers, clinical subtypes, and prognosis in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/associations-among-blood-biomarkers-clinical-subtypes-and-prognosis-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/associations-among-blood-biomarkers-clinical-subtypes-and-prognosis-in-parkinsons-disease/