The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Department of Radiology, The Third People's Hospital of Zhongshan, Guangdong, China.
Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei, China.
J Psychiatr Res. 2024 Dec;180:213-218. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.10.008. Epub 2024 Oct 11.
The glymphatic system, a physiological pathway recently identified, has attracted considerable attention for its potential role in the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. Despite significant research efforts, the exact contribution of the glymphatic system to alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains largely elusive. This study was a secondary analysis by analyzing a subset of the original data to examine changes in the ALPS index and determine its association with cognitive abilities in individuals with AUD.
We recruited 40 individuals with AUD and 40 healthy controls (HC). All subjects underwent MRI scans and clinical cognitive scale assessments. Diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index was used to estimate the differences in glymphatic activity between both groups, and linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between ALPS index and cognitive performance measures.
A statistically significant difference in the ALPS index was observed between both groups (p < 0.001), with the AUD group showing statistically lower ALPS index compared with the HC group (p < 0.001). Additionally, a positive correlation was identified between the ALPS index and MoCA/MMSE scores, indicating that higher ALPS index is indicative of better cognitive performance in individuals with AUD.
The findings of this study provide evidence of ALPS index in individuals with AUD and establish a link between the ALPS index and the cognitive impairments observed in AUD patients. These findings might suggest the importance of glymphatic activity in the emergence of cognitive deficits among those impacted by AUD, but a stronger link between ALPS index and glymphatic system is needed to better understand the relationship between glymphatic function and healthy outcomes.
最近发现的神经胶质淋巴系统（glymphatic system）在神经病理学中的潜在作用引起了广泛关注。尽管已经进行了大量的研究工作，但该系统对酒精使用障碍（AUD）的确切贡献仍很大程度上难以捉摸。本研究通过对原始数据的子集进行二次分析，旨在研究 ALPS 指数的变化，并确定其与 AUD 个体认知能力的关系。
我们招募了 40 名 AUD 患者和 40 名健康对照组（HC）。所有受试者均接受 MRI 扫描和临床认知量表评估。利用血管周围空间扩散张量成像（DTI-ALPS）指数来评估两组之间的神经胶质淋巴系统活性差异，并通过线性回归分析来探讨 ALPS 指数与认知表现之间的关联。
两组间的 ALPS 指数存在统计学差异（p<0.001），与 HC 组相比，AUD 组的 ALPS 指数明显较低（p<0.001）。此外，ALPS 指数与 MoCA/MMSE 评分呈正相关，表明 AUD 患者的 ALPS 指数越高，认知表现越好。
本研究结果提供了 AUD 患者 ALPS 指数的证据，并建立了 ALPS 指数与 AUD 患者认知障碍之间的联系。这些发现表明，神经胶质淋巴系统的活动在 AUD 患者认知缺陷的发生中可能起着重要作用，但需要更强的 ALPS 指数与神经胶质淋巴系统之间的联系来更好地理解神经胶质功能与健康结果之间的关系。
