Plasma inflammatory markers and brain white matter microstructure in late middle-aged and older adults

Chronic inflammation is a common feature of aging and is observed across various age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has, however, been challenging to develop measurements of brain structure directly linked to peripheral measures of neuroinflammation. This cross-sectional study examined whether plasma levels of markers related to inflammation are associated with diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) measures of white matter microstructure: mean diffusivity (MD) and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) free water fraction (FWF) and orientation dispersion index (ODI). Participants included 457 dementia-free individuals (mean age=63.82, SD =7.63). Blood plasma markers related to inflammation included two measures of systemic inflammation, (1) high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and (2) a composite of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, TNF-β), as well as (3) glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a measure of astrocytic activation. Higher cytokine composite levels were associated with higher values of all three measures (FWF, ODI, MD) in cerebral white matter, and with higher ODI in the cerebellar peduncles. Higher CRP levels were associated with higher ODI in cerebral and cerebellar white matter. Associations with GFAP were not significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Results were consistent after accounting for plasma biomarkers of AD pathology (p-tau ₁₈₁ /A β ₄₂ ). Thus, higher levels of peripheral pro-inflammatory markers are associated with white matter microstructure (higher FWF, ODI, and MD), supporting the view that these dMRI-based metrics are sensitive to inflammatory processes. Additionally, the sensitivity of dMRI-based measures to inflammation may differ by inflammatory marker types.