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White matter hyperintensities and microplastics
Synopsis:
White matter hyperintensities are abnormalities that appear in MRI scans of living patients but are not apparent in MRI post-mortem.
Goal:
Our goal is to understand the cellular/biological basis of white matter hyperintensities (WMH).
Approach:
We aligned post-mortem MR scans with those collected ante-mortem and performed histopathology and pyrGC/MS for plastics on regions with WMH.
Result:
PyrGC/MS detected large amounts of plastics and we determined their cellular locations with a novel optical imaging approach in regions with small vessel disease and Abeta plaques.
Impact:
Microplastics in the brains of people with cognitive impairment may be due to pre-existing vascular injury or contribute to it. Many questions remain: Where do they come from, do they impair function? Can they be diagnosed by MRI ante-mortem?
Insights
Researchers found plastics in brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH), potentially explaining these MRI abnormalities. Further study is needed to understand their origin and impact on cognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuropathology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are visible on MRI scans of living individuals but absent post-mortem.
- The underlying cellular and biological basis of WMH remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular and biological origins of white matter hyperintensities (WMH).
- To determine the presence and location of plastics within brain tissue exhibiting WMH.
Main Methods:
- Alignment of ante-mortem and post-mortem MRI scans.
- Histopathological analysis of brain tissue.
- Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PyrGC/MS) for plastic detection.
- Novel optical imaging for cellular localization of detected plastics.
Main Results:
- PyrGC/MS analysis revealed significant quantities of plastics in WMH regions.
- Plastics were localized to specific cellular areas within brain tissue.
- The presence of plastics was correlated with small vessel disease and Abeta plaques.
Conclusions:
- Microplastics may be associated with pre-existing vascular injury in the brain or contribute to its development.
- The origin and functional impact of brain microplastics require further investigation.
- The potential for ante-mortem MRI diagnosis of microplastic-associated WMH warrants exploration.
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