Altered perivascular space diffusivity dynamics in motor neuron disease

Abstract

Converging evidence supports a key pathogenic role of the glymphatic system in the accumulation of pathological aggregates in several central nervous system proteinopathies, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron diseases. This study aimed to investigate potential glymphatic impairment using diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) across motor neuron disease phenotypes, to examine its clinical correlates, and to assess its relationship with white matter damage.

Fifty-seven patients with motor neuron disease and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent a 3 Tesla brain MRI scan, including diffusion tensor imaging sequences. We obtained the DTI-ALPS index from each individual, evaluating its relationship with measures of motor and cognitive disability, site of symptom onset, cognitive status, genetic status and fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts. Comparisons between groups were evaluated using analysis of covariance adjusting for age, sex, local fractional anisotropy, and white matter hyperintensity burden. Partial correlations with clinical and cognitive measures were also tested.

Patients with motor neuron disease exhibited significantly lower DTI-ALPS index values relative to healthy controls (p=0.05). Patients with bulbar onset had lower DTI-ALPS values than those with spinal onset (p=0.017). Comparable DTI-ALPS values were found across patients with classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinical presentation and predominant upper or lower motor neuron clinical presentations, with no effect of cognitive diagnosis or genetic status. DTI-ALPS exhibited a significant correlation with disease duration (r=-0.38, p=0.01). Motor neuron disease patients presenting insomnia had significantly lower DTI-ALPS values compared to those without sleep disturbances (p=0.002). Significant positive correlations were found between ALPS index and fractional anisotropy values across major white matter tracts, including the internal and external capsules, superior longitudinal fasciculi, anterior, posterior and superior corona radiata, posterior thalamic radiation, fornix, and the genu and body of the corpus callosum. This study confirms the presence of altered interstitial fluid diffusivity dynamics across motor neuron disease phenotypes, with greater impairment observed in bulbar-onset cases, patients with longer disease duration, and those experiencing more pronounced sleep disturbances. These findings may support a potential pathogenic role of glymphatic failure in the accumulation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 proteinopathy and widespread microstructural axonal damage in motor neuron diseases.