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Microdissection and Whole Mount Scanning Electron Microscopy Visualization of Mouse Choroid Plexus
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Choroid Plexus Enlargement and USPIO-Based Inflammatory Feature in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Yongqiang Qu1, Xiaoning Ren2, Cuihua Fan3
1Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
|April 6, 2026
Summary
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is linked to enlarged choroid plexus (CP) volume and inflammation. This CP enlargement and inflammation may serve as a biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring neuroinflammation in CSVD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Cerebrovascular Diseases
- Neuroinflammation
Background:
- The choroid plexus (CP) is integral to the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB).
- Its role in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and associated neuroinflammation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate choroid plexus volume (CPV) changes in CSVD patients.
- To assess the association between CPV and conventional CSVD imaging markers.
- To explore CP inflammation using ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced MRI.
Main Methods:
- 111 CSVD patients and 69 healthy controls underwent 3.0T MRI to quantify CPV in lateral, third, and fourth ventricles.
- CSVD burden was assessed using scales for white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, enlarged perivascular spaces, microbleeds, and atrophy.
- A subgroup underwent USPIO-enhanced MRI to measure signal intensity ratio changes (ΔSIR) indicative of inflammation.
Main Results:
- CSVD patients exhibited significantly larger CPV across all ventricles (p < 0.001).
- Increased CPV correlated positively with CSVD imaging markers (p < 0.05).
- USPIO-enhanced MRI showed increased ΔSIR in CP and deep gray matter nuclei in CSVD patients, indicating inflammation.
Conclusions:
- Choroid plexus enlargement is a prominent feature of CSVD, strongly associated with disease burden.
- CP inflammation is linked to increased CP volume.
- The CP may represent a novel biomarker for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating neuroinflammation in CSVD.
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