Association between cerebrovascular imaging markers and glymphatic function in a large-scale cognitively normal...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Cerebrovascular Health
• Glymphatic System Function

Background:

• The glymphatic system clears waste from the brain, and its dysfunction is implicated in cognitive decline.
• Cerebrovascular imaging markers may reflect underlying brain health and influence glymphatic function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between key cerebrovascular imaging markers and glymphatic function in cognitively normal individuals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 574 cognitively normal participants using brain MRI.
• Glymphatic function assessed via the ALPS-index (Analysis of diffusion tensor image along the perivascular space index).
• Cerebrovascular markers including white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), and choroid plexus volume (CPV) were quantified.

Main Results:

• Lower ALPS-index (impaired glymphatic clearance) was significantly associated with higher WMH burden, increased CPV fraction, and more deep CMBs.
• Individuals with lacunes or old infarcts showed significantly lower ALPS-indices compared to those without.

Conclusions:

• Cerebrovascular imaging findings are significantly associated with glymphatic dysfunction in cognitively normal individuals.
• These findings underscore the importance of glymphatic function in maintaining brain health.
• Further research into glymphatic-targeted interventions for cerebrovascular disease prevention is warranted.