Overview
- Using machine-learning analysis of about 40,000 UK Biobank brain MRIs, the team extracted indirect measures of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics as proxies for glymphatic function.
- Three MRI biomarkers—DTI-ALPS, choroid plexus size, and CSF inflow velocity—predicted who developed dementia over the following decade.
- Common cardiovascular risks, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and measures of poor cardiac and arterial function, were associated with impaired CSF clearance partly via cerebral small vessel disease.
- An additional marker, total perivascular-space volume, did not predict dementia risk in this cohort.
- Findings appear in Alzheimer’s & Dementia and were presented at the World Stroke Congress, with authors highlighting potential benefits from blood-pressure control and better sleep while stressing the observational nature of the results and the need for interventional trials.