The second installment of Alzforum’s conference coverage series of the International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias highlighted researchers’ insight on fluid biomarkers in FTD neuropathology.  

According to the Alzforum article, FTD researchers shared their findings on neurofilament light (NfL), which was established as the best-validated fluid biomarker for FTD, with NfL levels rising in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma prior to symptoms. It was also asserted that plasma NfL reliably distinguishes between symptomatic and asymptomatic people. 

Dr. Adam Staffaroni of the University of California, San Francisco, who is also an investigator with ALLFTD, reported results from a disease progression model. The model incorporates biomarker measurements from mutation carriers across FTD, rather than relying on individual longitudinal data.  

Staffaroni used a dataset from ALLFTD and GENFI — data collected from 677 mutation-gene carriers and 372 noncarriers — in the model to get a view of plasma NfL. The model also used a handful of neuroimaging and cognitive markers. It was reported that plasma NfL outperformed neuroimaging or cognitive measures in terms of how dynamically it changed prior to the emergence of symptoms.  

Staffaroni will be a featured speaker at the 2021 AFTD Education Conference, happening online May 13 and May 14. He will provide an update on the current major FTD research initiatives.  

The International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias virtually convened the 12th International Conference on FTD March 3-5. The conference is the premier venue for the synthesis, exchange, and dissemination of research on FTD, where experts from diverse background and discipline share recent discoveries, insights, and opinions.   

Read the full Alzforum article here.  

Additional installments in the series can be found here:

Part One

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven