Neurofilaments are proteins selectively expressed in the cytoskeleton of neurons, and increased levels are a marker of damage. Elevated neurofilament levels can serve as a marker of ongoing disease activity as well as a tool to measure response to therapeutic intervention. The potential utility of neurofilaments has drastically increased as recent advances have made it possible to measure levels in both the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. There is mounting evidence that neurofilament light chain (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (NfH) are abnormal in a host of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review we examine how both of these proteins behave across diseases and what we know about how these biomarkers relate to in vivo white matter pathology and each other.

中文翻译：

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疾病中的神经丝：我们知道什么？

神经丝是在神经元细胞骨架中选择性表达的蛋白质，水平升高是损伤的标志。神经丝水平升高可以作为正在进行的疾病活动的标志以及测量治疗干预反应的工具。随着最近的进步使得测量脑脊液和血液中的水平成为可能，神经丝的潜在效用已大大增加。越来越多的证据表明，神经丝轻链 (NfL) 和磷酸化神经丝重链 (NfH) 在许多神经退行性疾病中存在异常。在这篇综述中，我们研究了这两种蛋白质在疾病中的表现，以及我们对这些生物标志物与体内白质病理学以及彼此之间的关系的了解。