Category: Parkinson's Disease: Neuroimaging
Objective: To examine glymphatic function in Parkinson’s disease utilizing the “Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis aLong the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS)” method.
Background: Dysfunction of glymphatic system (a waste clearing system from the brain via interstitial fluid flow with cerebrospinal fluid) may lead to pathologic accumulation of α-synuclein in extracellular spaces. This study investigated glymphatic function in Parkinson’s disease, utilizing “diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS).”
Method: This study included consecutive patients newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease between June 2017 and March 2020 who underwent brain DTI with concurrent 123I-FP-CIT SPECT. During the same period, age-sex matched subjects without a neurodegenerative disorder were included as controls. The DTI-ALPS measurements between two groups were compared using Student’s t-test. The correlation between glymphatic measurements and UPDRS Part III score and 123I-FP-CIT specific binding ratios was examined using a correlation coefficient.
Results: Total 108 subjects including 54 patients in the Parkinson’s disease group (31 women, 23 men; mean age, 68.9 ± 9.4 years) and 54 in the control group (31 women, 23 men; mean age, 69.0 ± 10.5 years) were finally included. Mean diffusivity along the x-axis at the projection neural fibers area (Dxproj) and the ALPS-index values from DTI-ALPS measurements were significantly lower in the Parkinson’s disease group than in controls (Dxproj, 0.59 ± 0.08 ×10−3mm2/s vs 0.65 ± 0.08 ×10−3mm2/s, respectively; ALPS-index, 1.51 ± 0.22 vs 1.66 ± 0.2, respectively; P<.0001 for both comparisons). There was no significant correlation with 123I-FP-CIT specific binding ratios (P>.05).
Conclusion: Altered glymphatic function was revealed in patients with Parkinson’s disease using DTI-ALPS, and its severity was correlated with motor dysfunction.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
N. Ryoo, YJ. Bae, YS. Song, JM. Kim. Altered glymphatic function in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2021; 36 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/altered-glymphatic-function-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/altered-glymphatic-function-in-parkinsons-disease/