Changes in DTI-ALPS index and its associations with neuronal damage in Lewy body disease

Dysfunction of the glymphatic system is thought to lead to build up of toxic proteins including β-amyloid and α-synuclein, and thus may be involved in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) index has been proposed as a marker of glymphatic function.

To investigate DTI-ALPS in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and determine its relationship with cognitive decline, and biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

DTI-ALPS was calculated on participants with DLB [N = 32], AD [N = 14], MCI with Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) [N = 31], MCI-AD [N = 31] and healthy comparators (HC) [N = 48]. Plasma biomarkers were available for amyloid-β, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL), and phosphorylated tau. Amyloid PET imaging with 18F florbetapir was performed on a subset of participants.

DTI-ALPS values were significantly lower compared to HC in both DLB (Estimate = -0.084 [-0.14 to -0.03], p = 0.004) and MCI-LB (Estimate = -0.058 [-0.11 to -0.002], p = 0.047) DTI-ALPS was also significantly associated with both baseline (t[147] = 2.22, p = 0.028) and longitudinal decline (t[127] = 2.41,p = 0.017) in cognitive score. There were significant associations of DTI-ALPS with plasma NfL (t[141] = -2.72, p = 0.007), and GFAP (t[141] = -2.83, p = 0.005), but not amyloid levels, nor with amyloid PET uptake.

DTI-ALPS is reduced in DLB compared to healthy comparators. Our findings suggest that dysfunction of the glymphatic system may contribute to neuronal damage in Lewy body disease. However further research is needed to clarify the role of the glymphatic system, and also the specificity of DTI-ALPS as a marker of glymphatic function.