Diffusion along perivascular spaces provides evidence interlinking compromised glymphatic function with aging in...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor function.
• Glymphatic system dysfunction is increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Noninvasive imaging biomarkers are needed to assess glymphatic function in PD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate glymphatic function in Parkinson's disease patients using DTI-ALPS.
• To identify factors related to glymphatic function in PD, considering age differences.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 93 idiopathic PD patients and 42 healthy controls (HCs).
• Utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to calculate the analysis along the perivascular space (ALPS) index.
• Correlated ALPS index with clinical data, including age, onset age, sleep scale scores, diabetes history, and motor symptom severity.

Main Results:

• PD patients showed a significantly reduced ALPS index compared to HCs.
• In PD patients, the ALPS index negatively correlated with age, onset age, PDSS-2 scores, and diabetes history.
• A negative correlation between ALPS index and motor symptom severity was observed in PD patients aged 65 and above, but not in younger patients.

Conclusions:

• Reduced ALPS index, indicating compromised glymphatic activity, is associated with Parkinson's disease pathophysiology.
• Glymphatic dysfunction is particularly evident in older PD patients and those with sleep disorders.
• DTI-ALPS serves as a potential noninvasive biomarker for assessing glymphatic function in PD.