The aging of glymphatic system in human brain and its correlation with brain charts and neuropsychological functioning

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the aging of the glymphatic system in healthy adults, and to determine whether this change is correlated with the brain charts and neuropsychological functioning. Two independent brain 3.0 T MRI datasets were analyzed: a public dataset and our hospital-own dataset from two hospitals. The function of the glymphatic system was quantified by diffusion analysis along the perivascular space (ALPS) index via an automatic method. Brain charts were calculated online. Correlations of the ALPS index with the brain charts, age, gender, and neuropsychological functioning, as well as differences in ALPS index across age groups, were assessed. A total of 161 healthy volunteers ranging in age from 20 to 87 years were included. ALPS index was negatively correlated with the age in both independent datasets. Compared with that of the young group, the ALPS index was significantly lower in the elderly group. No significant difference was found in the ALPS index between different genders. In addition, the ALPS index was not significantly correlated with the brain charts and neuropsychological functioning. In conclusion, the aging of glymphatic system exists in healthy adults, which is not correlated with the changes of brain charts and neuropsychological functioning.