Published online Jul 15, 2024. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i7.1537
Revised: May 13, 2024
Accepted: June 11, 2024
Published online: July 15, 2024
Processing time: 132 Days and 21.6 Hours
Dysfunction of the glymphatic system in the brain in different stages of altered glucose metabolism and its influencing factors are not well characterized.
To investigate the function of the glymphatic system and its clinical correlates in patients with different glucose metabolism states, the present study employed diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index.
Sample size was calculated using the pwr package in R software. This cross-sectional study enrolled 22 patients with normal glucose metabolism (NGM), 20 patients with prediabetes, and 22 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate the function of the glymphatic system. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was used to assess general cognitive function. The DTI-ALPS index of bilateral basal ganglia and the mean DTI-ALPS index was calculated. Further, the correlation between DTI-ALPS and clinical features was assessed.
The left-side, right-side, and mean DTI-ALPS index in the T2DM group were significantly lower than that in the NGM group. The right-side DTI-ALPS and mean DTI-ALPS index in the T2DM group were significantly lower than those in the prediabetes group. DTI-ALPS index lateralization was not observed. The MMSE score in the T2DM group was significantly lower than that in the NGM and prediabetes group. After controlling for sex, the left-side DTI-ALPS and mean DTI-ALPS index in the prediabetes group were positively correlated with 2-hour postprandial blood glucose level; the left-side DTI-ALPS index was negatively correlated with total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein level. The right-side DTI-ALPS and mean DTI-ALPS index were negatively correlated with the glycosylated hemoglobin level and waist-to-hip ratio in the prediabetes group. The left-side, right-side, and mean DTI-ALPS index in the T2DM group were positively correlated with height. The left-side and mean DTI-ALPS index in the T2DM group were negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein levels.
Cerebral glymphatic system dysfunction may mainly occur in the T2DM stage. Various clinical variables were found to affect the DTI-ALPS index in different glucose metabolism states. This study enhances our understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetic brain damage and provides some potential biological evidence for its early diagnosis.
Core Tip: Dysfunction of the glymphatic system in the brain in different stages of altered glucose metabolism is not well characterized. This study employed diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index to investigate the function of the glymphatic system and its clinical correlates in patients with different glucose metabolism states. Cerebral glymphatic system dysfunction was found to mainly occur in overt diabetes mellitus. Various clinical variables were found to affect the DTI-ALPS index in different stages of impaired glucose metabolism.
