Preeclampsia is a serious problem that can happen during pregnancy. It often affects the brain and can cause headaches, vision problems, strong reflexes, and seizures (called eclampsia). In this study, researchers explored whether certain substances in the blood, called neurofilaments, could act as signs of brain stress or injury in people with preeclampsia and help indicate how severe the condition might be.

Neurofilaments are structural proteins found inside nerve cells. When brain cells are stressed or injured, small amounts of these proteins can leak into the bloodstream, making them useful clues about brain health.

The researchers measured two types of neurofilament proteins in blood samples:

1. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) and
2. Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH).

They first studied pregnant patients in Boston and then confirmed their findings in a second group of patients in Chicago. The researchers compared people with normal blood pressure to people with preeclampsia, which is defined by elevated blood pressure and other systemic changes during pregnancy.

The results showed that people with preeclampsia had significantly higher levels of both neurofilament proteins in their blood compared with those who had normal blood pressure. This pattern was seen in both the Boston and Chicago groups. Women with the highest levels of these proteins were three to four times more likely to have preeclampsia. The risk was even greater among individuals with severe preeclampsia when both proteins were elevated at the same time.

These findings suggest that higher levels of neurofilaments may reflect ongoing brain stress or subtle neurological injury during preeclampsia. Importantly, elevated markers of neurological injury were observed in both Caucasian and African American patients, indicating that these changes are not limited to one racial group.

For patients, this research points toward a future where a simple blood test might help doctors better understand how preeclampsia is affecting the brain, not just blood pressure. Identifying neurological stress early could help guide monitoring, treatment decisions, and follow-up care—especially for those at risk of severe disease.

Take Home Message: Looking to the future, additional prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether these markers could suggest the onset of eclampsia. More research is needed to find out whether higher levels of brain injury markers before delivery are linked to memory and thinking problems, such as dementia, later in life in women who had preeclampsia.

Citation: Gu, Rana, Ngo, et al. Hypertension. Dec 2025.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210778925000819?via%3Dihub

About Research Roundup:

Each quarter, our team of science writers reviews the most current research studies related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and summarizes those studies of greatest interest and potential impact to our community, including research studies related to risk assessment, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Special thanks to our volunteer research team including Dr. Sig-Linda Jacobson, Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, Dr. Julie Reynolds, Amanda Yang, and Simren Gupta who make Research Roundup possible, and to our Patient Advisory Council, who reviews these materials from the patient perspective.