HomeScience and ResearchScientific ResearchEnlarged Choroid plexus has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease

Enlarged Choroid plexus has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease

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The choroid plexus is a network of blood arteries, connective tissue, and cells. In terms of brain health, the plexus is crucial as it serves as a conduit for immune cells to get from the bloodstream to the brain.

According to a new study published in the journal Radiology, increased volume of the choroid plexus, an important structure in the brain, is connected to greater cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

In the ventricles of the brain, the choroid plexus is a network of blood arteries, connective tissue, and cells. In terms of brain health, the plexus is crucial. It serves as a conduit for immune cells to get from the bloodstream to the brain. It is critical for removing waste materials and harmful proteins from brain cells because it is the major site for cerebrospinal fluid formation. This function is especially critical in the event of Alzheimer’s disease. According to new research, disease progression is linked to the formation of abnormal proteins called amyloid and tau, as well as nerve damage.

The team believes, according to study senior author Won-Jin Moon, “that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by defective clearance rather than overproduction of aberrant amyloid and tau.”

And due to this “that aberrant choroid plexus status is associated to waste and toxic protein accumulation in the brain, as well as immune surveillance failure leading to neuroinflammation.”

The imaging profile of the choroid plexus in cognitive impairment is poorly understood.

Dr. Moon and colleagues used brain MRI on 532 people at various levels of cognitive impairment to learn more. A total of 132 people were scanned for permeability using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

On brain MRI, choroid plexus volume and permeability were linked to the severity of cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s dementia patients had a larger choroid plexus volume than those who did not. Memory was found to be adversely correlated with choroid plexus volume. It also harmed executive function, a broad set of brain abilities that governs things like self-control and planning.

The findings of the study revealed, “that the enlarged choroid plexus volume is independently associated with increased cognitive impairment.”

They didn’t find any “relationship between choroid plexus volume and amyloid pathology but a clear relationship between the choroid plexus volume and cognitive impairment severity.”

The findings suggest that MRI may have novel applications in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Moon thinks these “findings on the choroid plexus can suggest it as a new potential MR imaging surrogate for an impaired clearance system and neuroinflammation.”

Helping researchers find novel target medications or treatments for clearance failure and neuroinflammation are two more possible clinical applications. Choroid plexus measures could eventually assist speed up treatment for individuals who need it the most.

“If we combine choroid plexus volume and hippocampal volume in a screening stage, it may help us better discriminate the more vulnerable patients from the less vulnerable ones,” the lead author added.

A longitudinal study is being planned by the researchers. They’ll look at how the choroid plexus volume varies as the disease proceeds.

Image credit: Getty

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