Can Large Brain Spaces Filled With Fluid Help Identify Those At Risk For Dementia? – ScienceDaily

Perivascular spaces are involved in the removal of wastes and toxins from the brain and may be associated with brain changes associated with aging.

The study involved 414 people with an average age of 80. Participants took cognitive thinking and memory tests and were assessed for the presence of dementia at the start of the study and every two years for eight years. Participants had MRI brain scans to check for enlarged perivascular spaces in two key areas of the brain at the start of the study, and then every two years for eight years. The top quarter of people with the most enlarged perivascular spaces, designated as severe cases, were compared to those with fewer or no enlarged spaces.

“Severe perivascular spatial disease may be a marker of an increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia,” said study author Matthew Paradise, MB.Ch.B., M.Sc., of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “More research is needed to understand how these enlarged spaces develop, as they could be an important potential biomarker to aid in the early diagnosis of dementia.

The researchers found that people with the most enlarged perivascular spaces in both areas of the brain were almost three times more likely to develop dementia during the study than people with fewer or no spaces. expanded.

A total of 97 people, or 24%, were diagnosed with dementia during the study. Of the 31 people with severe cases in both areas of the brain, 12 people, or 39%, were diagnosed with dementia.

People with severe widening of the perivascular spaces in both areas of the brain were also more likely to have a greater decline four years later in their overall cognition scores than people with mild or no widening of the spaces.

The results persisted after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect test results or the development of dementia, such as age, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The researchers also took into account other signs of disease in the brain’s small blood vessels, which may also be a sign of risk for dementia.

“These results suggest that there is an independent mechanism for perivascular spaces as a biomarker of cognitive impairment and dementia in addition to being a general marker of disease in small vessels,” Paradise said. “For example, enlarged perivascular spaces may be a biomarker of impaired waste disposal in the brain.”

Paradise noted that the study does not prove that enlarged perivascular spaces cause these thinking and memory problems over time; it only shows an association.

Limitations of the study include the fact that cognitive test data was only available over four years, and imaging data could have missed some enlarged perivascular spaces in the brain.

The study was supported by the Australian National Council for Health and Medical Research and the Josh Woolfson Memorial Fellowship.

Source of story:

Material provided by American Academy of Neurology. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.