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Relation of MRI visible perivascular spaces with global and regional brain structural connectivity measures: The

Oluchi Ekenze1, Stephan Seiler2, Adlin Pinheiro3

  • 1NHLBI's Framingham Heart Study, 73 Mt Wayte Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702, USA.

Neurobiology of Aging
|March 5, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Higher grades of MRI-visible perivascular spaces (PVS) are linked to disrupted brain connectivity. This study in Framingham Heart Study participants suggests PVS may impact dementia risk by affecting structural brain networks.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Brain Connectivity

Background:

  • MRI-visible perivascular spaces (PVS) are associated with cognitive impairment and dementia.
  • Disrupted brain network connectivity is also a feature of cognitive decline and dementia.
  • The relationship between PVS and brain connectivity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between perivascular spaces (PVS) grade and global/regional structural brain connectivity.
  • To examine these relationships in participants without stroke or dementia from the Framingham Heart Study.
  • To assess potential effect modification by age, sex, hypertension, and APOE-ɛ4 status.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized MRI T2 sequences to rate PVS in the basal ganglia (BG) and centrum semiovale (CSO) in 2525 participants.
  • Assessed structural brain network architecture using global efficiency, local efficiency, and modularity.
  • Employed analysis of covariance, adjusting for age, sex, and vascular risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Higher grades (III and IV) of PVS in the BG and CSO were significantly associated with reduced global efficiency.
  • Grade III and IV PVS in the BG, and grade IV PVS in the CSO, were linked to reduced local efficiency.
  • Associations between high PVS burden and network measures showed variations based on age, hypertension, sex, and APOE-ɛ4 status.

Conclusions:

  • Increased PVS burden is associated with disruptions in both global and regional structural brain networks.
  • These findings suggest PVS may contribute to dementia risk through the impairment of brain connectivity.
  • The influence of demographic and genetic factors on the PVS-connectivity relationship warrants further study.
Keywords:
Basal gangliaCentrum semiovaleGlobal efficiencyLocal efficiencyMRI visible perivascular spacesModularityStructural brain connectivity

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