Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light and tau protein as mortality biomarkers in parkinsonism

Background Mortality is increased in parkinsonian disorders, moderately in Parkinson's disease (PD) but markedly in atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD), including multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Still, there are no reliable quantitative biomarkers for mortality. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurodegeneration biomarkers such as neurofilament light chain (NF‐L), total tau (t‐tau), and the tau pathology marker phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) are related to mortality in other neurological disorders (eg, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease), but have not been investigated in this respect in parkinsonian disorders. Aims To investigate the CSF biomarkers' (NF‐L, t‐tau, and p‐tau) relationship to mortality in parkinsonian disorders. Methods Demographic, mortality, and CSF data were collected from 68 PD and 83 APD patients. Survival analysis was conducted using Cox regression, with age at lumbar puncture, gender, diagnosis, and levels of CSF biomarkers as predictors. Results NF‐L in CSF was associated with increased mortality in synucleinopathies (PD, MSA; HR 3.698 [2.196‐6.228, 95% confidence interval (CI)], P