Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test for brain disease in dogs using neurofilament light chain
By Sung, Jookyung et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of neurofilament light chain to identify structural brain diseases in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with various brain issues, including epilepsy, meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and its surrounding membranes), hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain), and brain tumors, had their blood tested for a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL). This protein can indicate damage to brain cells. The results showed that dogs with structural brain diseases had higher levels of NfL compared to healthy dogs and those with epilepsy. This suggests that measuring NfL could help veterinarians distinguish between different types of brain problems in dogs and assess the severity of conditions like meningoencephalitis and hydrocephalus.
People also search for: dog brain tumor symptoms · dog epilepsy treatment · hydrocephalus in dogs · meningoencephalitis in dogs · neurofilament light chain test for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is released into the peripheral circulation by damaged axons. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum NfL concentration in dogs with intracranial diseases. ANIMALS: Study included 37 healthy dogs, 31 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), 45 dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE), 20 dogs with hydrocephalus, and 19 dogs with brain tumors. METHODS: Cohort study. Serum NfL concentrations were measured in all dogs using single-molecule array technology. RESULTS: Serum NfL concentration in dogs with each structural disease was significantly higher than in healthy dogs and dogs with IE (P = .01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of NfL for differentiating between dogs with structural diseases and IE was 0.868. An optimal cutoff value of the NfL 27.10 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 86.67% and a specificity of 74.19% to differentiate the dogs with IE from those with structural brain diseases. There were significant correlations between NfL concentrations and lesion size: (1) MUE, P = .01, r = 0.429; (2) hydrocephalus, P = .01, r = 0.563. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum NfL could be a useful biomarker for distinguishing IE from structural diseases in dogs and predicting the lesion sizes of MUE and hydrocephalus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38778568/