Neurofilament and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder, stimultaneously affecting cerebral pyramidal cells, motor nuclei in the brain stem, anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, and the pyramidal tract. The early diagnosis of ALS is very difficult. At present, it still lacks efficacious therapy. Its prognosis is poor, with the median survival time for about 3-5 years. The study and discovery of ALS-specific biomarkers for early diagnosis are critical to shorten diagnostic delay, explore and elucidate pathogenesis, monitor disease progression and predict prognosis. In recent years, studies have shown that the neurofilament plays an important role in the aspects above, and at present, it is considered as the most clinically valuable and promising biomarker for ALS. Thus, the article provides a review about research on neurofilament and ALS.