A biomarker in the blood may determine the extent of brain injury from different types of strokes and predict prognosis in these patients.
A biomarker in the blood may determine the extent of brain injury from different types of strokes and predict prognosis in these patients.
New US research reports that the blood biomarker is a protein known as neurofilament light (NFL), which is abundant in neurons found in the brain. When neurons are injured following a stroke, or from other neurological diseases, NFL is released into cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and then into the blood. The amount of NFL released is indicative of the level of neuron injury in the brain, according to the research team.
Tania Gendron, study lead author, said: “Reliably predicting a patient’s prognosis is important to their care, as it informs treatment and rehabilitation decisions.”
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