Bilateral choroid plexus hypertrophy without CSF volume changes predicts sleep disruption in young alcohol users

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Neuroimmunology

Background:

• The choroid plexus (ChP) is crucial for blood-CSF barrier integrity, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production, and brain homeostasis.
• ChP abnormalities are observed in aging and neurological disorders, with alcohol potentially affecting its structure and function.
• The impact of habitual alcohol use on adult ChP morphometry and its relation to sleep remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between alcohol consumption and ChP volume in young adults.
• To examine the relationship between ChP volume, CSF volume, and sleep quality in moderate-to-heavy drinkers (HD) versus light-to-non-drinkers (LD).

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI and behavioral data from 796 young adults (ages 22-37) from the Human Connectome Project were analyzed.
• Alcohol use was assessed using validated questionnaires (ASR, SSAGA-II).
• Bilateral ChP and total CSF volumes were extracted using FreeSurfer; subjective sleep was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Main Results:

• Moderate-to-heavy drinkers (HD) exhibited significantly larger bilateral ChP volumes compared to light-to-non-drinkers (LD).
• No significant difference in total CSF volume was found between groups.
• HD males reported worse sleep latency, while HD females showed better sleep efficiency and duration compared to LD counterparts; ChP volumes correlated with sleep disturbances in HD individuals.

Conclusions:

• Moderate-to-heavy alcohol use in young adulthood is associated with bilateral ChP hypertrophy, independent of overall CSF volume changes.
• The findings suggest a localized remodeling of the ChP, potentially involving neuro-immune mechanisms.
• The choroid plexus may serve as an early structural biomarker for alcohol-related brain alterations in non-dependent young adults.