Biochemical blood markers of brain injury are increasingly linked to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.10 Plasma neurofilament light (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) have been associated with dementia, cognitive decline and poor functional independence in daily activities.11,12 Similarly, elevated plasma tau is also associated with cognitive decline.13,14 Higher levels of the astrocytic injury marker S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) have been linked to cognitive dysfunction in various conditions.15-17. This evidence concerns the gene NEFL and Mental deterioration.