In this test-specific episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, and Bjorn Oskarsson, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, discuss how the neurofilament light chain test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories helps physicians diagnose neurological disease and assess neuronal damage.

Specific topics of discussion include:

• Benefits of the neurofilament light chain test that uses plasma rather than spinal fluid.
• How levels of neurofilament light chain – a nonspecific biomarker – play a role in clinical decision-making.
• How the test can be used to guide treatment options for neurological conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS).