School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia.
Brain Behav. 2020 May;10(5):e01578. doi: 10.1002/brb3.1578. Epub 2020 Mar 17.
Serum neurofilament light protein (NfL) is a promising marker of disease onset and progression in Huntington's disease (HD). This study investigated associations between lifestyle factors and NfL levels in HD mutation carriers compared to healthy age- and sex-matched controls.
Participants included 29 HD mutation carriers and 15 healthy controls. Associations between serum NfL concentrations and lifestyle factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness, social network size and diversity, physical activity, cognitive reserve, smoking status, and alcohol consumption, were examined using a stepwise multivariable linear regression model.
Higher NfL levels were associated with lower cognitive reserve, social network size and diversity and cardiorespiratory fitness in HD mutation carriers. Group × lifestyle factor effects were observed between lower serum NfL levels and a greater social network diversity.
These findings highlight a relationship between lifestyle factors and NfL levels in HD mutations carriers; however, longitudinal studies are required to confirm if these observed relationships persist over time.
血清神经丝轻蛋白（NfL）是亨廷顿病（HD）发病和进展的有前途的标志物。本研究调查了与生活方式因素与 HD 基因突变携带者的 NfL 水平与健康年龄和性别匹配的对照组之间的关联。
参与者包括 29 名 HD 基因突变携带者和 15 名健康对照者。使用逐步多元线性回归模型检查了血清 NfL 浓度与生活方式因素（包括心肺适能、社交网络规模和多样性、身体活动、认知储备、吸烟状况和饮酒量）之间的关联。
在 HD 基因突变携带者中，较高的 NfL 水平与较低的认知储备、社交网络规模和多样性以及心肺适能相关。在较低的血清 NfL 水平和更大的社交网络多样性之间观察到组×生活方式因素的影响。
这些发现强调了生活方式因素与 HD 基因突变携带者的 NfL 水平之间的关系；然而，需要进行纵向研究以确认这些观察到的关系是否随时间持续存在。
