98%
921
2 minutes
20
Brain glymphatic activity, as indicated by diffusion-tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (ALPS) index, is involved in developmental neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, but its genetic architecture is poorly understood. Here, we identified 17 unique genome-wide significant loci and 161 candidate genes linked to the ALPS-indexes in a discovery sample of 31,021 individuals from the UK Biobank. Seven loci were replicated in two independent datasets. Genetic signals located at the 2p23.3 locus yielded significantly concordant effects in both young and aging cohorts. Genetic correlation and polygenic overlap analyses indicate a common underlying genetic mechanism between the ALPS-index, ventricular volumes, and cerebrospinal fluid tau levels, with GMNC (3q28) and C16orf95 (16q24.2) as the shared genetic basis. Our findings enhance the understanding of the genetics of the ALPS-index and provide insight for further research into the neurobiological mechanisms of glymphatic clearance activity across the lifespan and its relation to neuropsychiatric phenotypes.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11730627 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55706-9 | DOI Listing |
Neuroscience
September 2025
Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology, Nanjing 210039, China. Electronic address:
Sleep disorders encompass a range of diseases and symptoms that disrupt individual sleep patterns, degrade sleep quality, and diminish sleep efficiency. Currently, the mechanisms governing sleep regulation and the etiology of sleep disorders remain unclear, leading to clinical treatments that are primarily symptomatic due to the absence of precise intervention methods. Recent studies suggest that glymphatic-meningeal lymphatic route is responsible for the clearance of macromolecular metabolites from the brain, thus playing a pivotal role in maintaining sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Neurosci
September 2025
Global Health Neurology Lab, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a major yet underappreciated driver of cognitive impairment and dementia, contributing to nearly half of all cases. Emerging evidence indicates that CSVD is not merely a coexisting vascular condition but an active amplifier of neurodegeneration, operating through a self-perpetuating cascade of microvascular injury, blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, and glymphatic system dysfunction. In this hypothesis-driven review, we propose the Integrated Vascular-Neurodegenerative Continuum, a mechanistic model in which vascular pathology triggers and accelerates neurodegeneration via intersecting pathways, including chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, oxidative stress, and APOE ε4-associated endothelial vulnerability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep Med Clin
September 2025
Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', "Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico", Via San Pio X, 4, Tricase, Lecce 73039, Italy.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by both motor and nonmotor symptoms, including significant sleep disturbances. The glymphatic system, a brain-wide clearance mechanism active during sleep, may play a key role in PD pathology by impairing the removal of toxic proteins like α-synuclein. Dysfunctional glymphatic clearance and disrupted sleep may create a cycle that accelerates neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
September 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.
Focused Ultrasound (FUS) is the concentration of acoustic energy into a small region to produce therapeutic bioeffects. FUS-induced blood-brain barrier opening (BBBO), a strategy to deliver drugs and genes to the brain, also enhances glymphatic drainage, the brain-specific waste clearance system. Thus, FUS BBBO is a promising strategy for addressing the accumulation of neurotoxic solutes that are characteristic of many neurodegenerative diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroimaging
September 2025
Jefferson Headache Center, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Background And Purpose: Diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) has emerged as a promising noninvasive method for evaluating water motion that may reflect glymphatic system function. However, the reliability of DTI-ALPS measurements across different region-of-interest (ROI) selection methods remains underinvestigated. This study aimed to assess the interrater reliability among three neuroradiologists in native space and compare DTI-ALPS indices derived from ROIs placed in subjects' native space versus standardized Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF