Takeaway
White matter multiple sclerosis lesions containing lipid-laden foamy microglia/macrophages have high acute axonal damage which correlates with increased cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain levels.
Why this matters?
Although levels of neurofilament light chain have been used as general indicators or predictors of neuronal damage in neurologic disorders, their role in multiple sclerosis requires further clarification.
This unique quantitative neuropathologic analysis of a large multiple sclerosis autopsy cohort demonstrates the feasibility of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain levels as a biomarker to monitor inflammatory demyelinating lesion activity with axonal damage.