Our center investigated the relationship between three blood biomarkers—amyloid-β42/40 ratio (Aβ42/40), phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181), and neurofilament light chain (NfL)—and cognitive function and all-cause mortality risk in 495 centenarians. The results showed that elevated blood NfL levels were significantly associated with cognitive decline and increased mortality risk, proving to be a stronger indicator than Aβ42/40 or p-tau181.
NfL is a protein involved in maintaining the axonal structure of neurons and is known to rise in the blood following neurological damage. This study demonstrates that blood NfL is a useful indicator reflecting cognitive decline and mortality risk in the oldest old, and is expected to be developed as a non-invasive method for assessing neurodegeneration in clinical applications.
These findings were published online on May 7, 2026 (U.S. Eastern Time) in JAMA Network Open, a medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
Please see the full press release below.