Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurofilament light chain levels in dogs with epilepsy types
By Fowler, Kayla M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of neurofilament light chain as a biomarker in dogs with structural and idiopathic epilepsy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 50 dogs experiencing seizures was studied to see if a specific protein in their blood, called neurofilament light chain (NfL), could help tell the difference between two types of epilepsy: structural epilepsy (SE) and idiopathic epilepsy (IE). The results showed that dogs with SE had much higher levels of NfL compared to those with IE. This suggests that measuring NfL could be a helpful tool for veterinarians in diagnosing and managing these conditions.
People also search for: dog seizures causes · dog epilepsy treatment · neurofilament light chain in dogs · structural vs idiopathic epilepsy in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a frequently used biomarker in humans for both diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring purposes in various neurologic diseases. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: It was hypothesized that dogs with diagnosed structural epilepsy (SE) would have a significantly higher serum NfL concentrations compared to dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE). The secondary hypothesis was that dogs would have a significantly higher serum NfL concentrations when measured within 7 days after a seizure compared to being seizure-free for at least 30 days. ANIMALS: Fifty client-owned dogs presented to the neurology service for evaluation of seizures were enrolled. Fourteen dogs had SE and 36 dogs had IE. METHODS: Prospective cohort study performed on 52 serum samples obtained for NfL concentration measurement using single molecule array technology. RESULTS: The median serum concentration of NfL in dogs with SE was significantly higher (109 pg/mL; range, 11.4-741.3 pg/mL) than in dogs with IE (17.7 pg/mL; range, 5.8-188 pg/mL; Wilcoxon rank sum test, P = .001). No significant relationship was found between serum NfL concentration and time of sampling in relation to the most recent seizure in dogs with IE. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum NfL may serve as an adjunctive biomarker for the differentiation of SE and IE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38509606/