Quantitative Imaging of Brain Glymphatic Function in Humans
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2025-02-28
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Recent immunological and physiological studies have provided evidence in support of a central
nervous system (CNS) lymphatic drainage system in vertebrate animals, and preliminary
evidence has suggested that a similar system exists in humans. If operative, this system may
have central relevance to many vascular and fluid clearance disorders such as stroke,
multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease related dementia (ADRD):
diseases which represent some of the most pressing healthcare challenges of the 21st century.
Evaluating this possibility will require improved, robust imaging methods sensitive to
lymphatic drainage dysfunction; as such, the goal of this work is to apply novel magnetic
resonance imaging approaches, optimized already for evaluating lymphatic circulation in
patients with peripheral lymphatic dysfunction, to quantify relationships between
physiological hallmarks of ADRD and CNS lymphatic function in humans.