Temporal profile and utility of serum neurofilament light in a rat model of mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract

There is a widely recognized need for blood biomarkers to assist clinical decisions surrounding mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Serum neurofilament light (NfL), an indicator of neuroaxonal damage, is one such candidate, with early mTBI clinical investigations demonstrating significant promise. To facilitate the translation of pre-clinical mTBI findings, clinically relevant outcomes should be integrated into animal studies wherever possible. Despite this, the temporal profile and potential utility of NfL as a blood biomarker in pre-clinical mTBI is poorly understood. Here, we quantified serum NfL at 2-h, 1-, 3-, 7- and 14-days following mTBI in rats and compared these to pre-injury levels..