---
_id: '66849'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: "Abstract\r\n \r\n Serum
neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are
biomarkers of neuroaxonal and astrocytic damage but remain understudied in adolescent
psychiatric populations. This study investigated sNfL and GFAP levels in 412 adolescents
diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN) (\r\n n\r\n
\ = 52), depression (\r\n n\r\n
\ = 237), and other psychiatric disorders (\r\n n\r\n
\ = 123). We assessed their diagnostic utility, correlation
with disease severity, and longitudinal changes during AN treatment. Biomarkers
were measured using Single Molecule Array technology, with Z-scores derived from
reference datasets. Compared to population norms, both biomarkers were elevated
in AN (sNfL: 1.15 ± 1.17; GFAP: 1.50 ± 0.84) and in depression (sNfL: 0.34 ± 1.10;
GFAP: 0.58 ± 1.00). Patients with AN showed significantly higher biomarker levels
than those with depression or other psychiatric disorders; importantly, this distinction
remained evident in sensitivity analyses restricted to underweight individuals
with depression. In AN, sNfL levels correlated with baseline weight loss (β = −0.45,
R² = 0.20) and declined significantly during treatment, while GFAP changes were
less pronounced. Neither marker correlated with depressive symptom severity. Bootstrapped
ROC analyses showed moderate-to-good discriminatory power (AUCs 0.70–0.84) for
distinguishing AN from depression. These findings suggest that neuroaxonal and
astrocytic stress is a component of adolescent psychopathology, particularly in
AN. sNfL appears sensitive to starvation-related neurobiological changes, with
levels normalizing alongside weight restoration. GFAP showed similar but less
robust trends. Accordingly, the observed biomarker changes reflect more than underweight
alone, supporting a potential role in differential diagnosis and treatment monitoring.\r\n
\ "
article_number: '431'
author:
- first_name: Marc
full_name: Pawlitzki, Marc
last_name: Pawlitzki
- first_name: Lars
full_name: Masanneck, Lars
last_name: Masanneck
- first_name: Laura
full_name: Schlarbaum, Laura
id: '96697'
last_name: Schlarbaum
- first_name: Nicole
full_name: Jankovic, Nicole
last_name: Jankovic
- first_name: Stefan
full_name: Bittner, Stefan
last_name: Bittner
- first_name: Falk
full_name: Steffen, Falk
last_name: Steffen
- first_name: Jens
full_name: Kuhle, Jens
last_name: Kuhle
- first_name: Pascal
full_name: Benkert, Pascal
last_name: Benkert
- first_name: Jonathan
full_name: Repple, Jonathan
last_name: Repple
- first_name: Judith
full_name: Bühlmeier, Judith
last_name: Bühlmeier
- first_name: Anke
full_name: Hinney, Anke
last_name: Hinney
- first_name: Johannes
full_name: Hebebrand, Johannes
last_name: Hebebrand
- first_name: Raphael
full_name: Hirtz, Raphael
last_name: Hirtz
- first_name: Sven
full_name: G. Meuth, Sven
last_name: G. Meuth
- first_name: Lars
full_name: Libuda, Lars
id: '88682'
last_name: Libuda
orcid: 0000-0003-1603-3133
- first_name: Manuel
full_name: Föcker, Manuel
last_name: Föcker
citation:
ama: 'Pawlitzki M, Masanneck L, Schlarbaum L, et al. Exploring serum biomarkers
in paediatric psychiatry: the impact of NfL and GFAP. Translational Psychiatry.
2026;16(1). doi:10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1'
apa: 'Pawlitzki, M., Masanneck, L., Schlarbaum, L., Jankovic, N., Bittner, S., Steffen,
F., Kuhle, J., Benkert, P., Repple, J., Bühlmeier, J., Hinney, A., Hebebrand,
J., Hirtz, R., G. Meuth, S., Libuda, L., & Föcker, M. (2026). Exploring serum
biomarkers in paediatric psychiatry: the impact of NfL and GFAP. Translational
Psychiatry, 16(1), Article 431. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1'
bibtex: '@article{Pawlitzki_Masanneck_Schlarbaum_Jankovic_Bittner_Steffen_Kuhle_Benkert_Repple_Bühlmeier_et
al._2026, title={Exploring serum biomarkers in paediatric psychiatry: the impact
of NfL and GFAP}, volume={16}, DOI={10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1},
number={1431}, journal={Translational Psychiatry}, publisher={Springer Science
and Business Media LLC}, author={Pawlitzki, Marc and Masanneck, Lars and Schlarbaum,
Laura and Jankovic, Nicole and Bittner, Stefan and Steffen, Falk and Kuhle, Jens
and Benkert, Pascal and Repple, Jonathan and Bühlmeier, Judith and et al.}, year={2026}
}'
chicago: 'Pawlitzki, Marc, Lars Masanneck, Laura Schlarbaum, Nicole Jankovic, Stefan
Bittner, Falk Steffen, Jens Kuhle, et al. “Exploring Serum Biomarkers in Paediatric
Psychiatry: The Impact of NfL and GFAP.” Translational Psychiatry 16, no.
1 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1.'
ieee: 'M. Pawlitzki et al., “Exploring serum biomarkers in paediatric psychiatry:
the impact of NfL and GFAP,” Translational Psychiatry, vol. 16, no. 1,
Art. no. 431, 2026, doi: 10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1.'
mla: 'Pawlitzki, Marc, et al. “Exploring Serum Biomarkers in Paediatric Psychiatry:
The Impact of NfL and GFAP.” Translational Psychiatry, vol. 16, no. 1,
431, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026, doi:10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1.'
short: M. Pawlitzki, L. Masanneck, L. Schlarbaum, N. Jankovic, S. Bittner, F. Steffen,
J. Kuhle, P. Benkert, J. Repple, J. Bühlmeier, A. Hinney, J. Hebebrand, R. Hirtz,
S. G. Meuth, L. Libuda, M. Föcker, Translational Psychiatry 16 (2026).
date_created: 2026-08-26T08:23:11Z
date_updated: 2026-08-26T08:26:16Z
ddc:
- '570'
doi: 10.1038/s41398-026-04347-1
file:
- access_level: closed
content_type: application/pdf
creator: laura36
date_created: 2026-08-26T08:23:55Z
date_updated: 2026-08-26T08:23:55Z
file_id: '66850'
file_name: s41398-026-04347-1.pdf
file_size: 2476361
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-08-26T08:23:55Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 16'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Translational Psychiatry
publication_identifier:
issn:
- 2158-3188
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: 'Exploring serum biomarkers in paediatric psychiatry: the impact of NfL and
GFAP'
type: journal_article
user_id: '96697'
volume: 16
year: '2026'
...