Aging as a key determinant of glymphatic system function in older adults

The glymphatic system is a crucial pathway for the clearance of metabolic waste in the central nervous system. However, the risk factors of glymphatic system such as age, gender, metabolic factors, cardiovascular disease, and lifestyle are not fully investigated. We examined the association between risk factors and glymphatic system to identify the key factors that influence glymphatic system in older adults.

A total of 228 community-dwelling participants aged 40-82 years were assessed with 3T MRI. MRI measures, including perivascular space (PVS) volume fraction (PVSVF), free water (FW), and diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) were calculated. The participants were divided into three subgroups by age including 40-54 years (n = 88), 55-64 years (n = 83), and ≥65 years group (n = 34). The association between age and glymphatic system was analyzed using linear regression model.

In total, 205 participants aged from 40 to 82 years were analyzed. FW in white matter (β = 0.308, P = .020) and DTI-ALPS (β = -0.356, P = .001) were associated with age significantly. In subgroup, FW in white matter (β = 0.732, P < .001) positively correlated with age in ≥65 years group. DTI-ALPS negatively correlated with age in ≥65 years group (β = -0.532, P = .001) after including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of interest region as covariates.

Aging was found to be a key factor influencing the function of the glymphatic system especially in the participants during older age (≥65 years), suggesting the potential importance of the sixth decade for early preservation methods of the glymphatic system.