Serum neurofilament light-chain levels in children with monophasic myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease, multiple sclerosis, and other acquired demyelinating syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the diagnostic and prognostic potential of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in children with first acquired demyelinating syndrome (ADS).

METHODS

We selected 129 children with first ADS including 19 children with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-antibody associated disease (MOGAD), 36 MOG/AQP4-seronegative ADS, and 74 with multiple sclerosis (MS) from the BIOMARKER study cohort. All children had a complete set of clinical, radiological, laboratory data and serum for NfL measurement using a highly sensitive digital ELISA (SIMOA). A control group of 35 children with non-inflammatory neurological diseases was included. sNfL levels were compared across patient groups according to clinical, laboratory, neuroradiological features and outcome after 2 years.

RESULTS

sNfL levels were significantly increased in MOGAD, seronegative ADS and MS compared to controls (p-value < 0.001), in particular in children with an acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)-like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern (p < 0.001) or longitudinally extensive myelitis (p < 0.01). In pediatric MS, elevated sNfL levels were significantly associated with higher numbers of cerebral (p < 0.001) and presence of spinal (p < 0.05) MRI lesions at baseline and predicted a higher number of relapses (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

sNfL levels are significantly elevated in all three studied pediatric ADS subtypes indicating neuroaxonal injury. In pediatric MS high levels of sNfL are associated with risk factors for disease progression.