MRI-Visible Perivascular Spaces Associated With Cognitive Impairment in Military Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury Mediated by CSF P-Tau

• Published in: Frontiers in psychiatry Vol. 13; p. 921203
• Main Authors: Wang, Ming-Liang, Yang, Dian-Xu, Sun, Zheng, Li, Wen-Bin, Zou, Qiao-Qiao, Li, Peng-Yang, Wu, Xue, Li, Yue-Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06.07.2022
• Subjects: CSF; MRI; MRI-visible perivascular spaces; Psychiatry; tau; traumatic brain injury; traumatic brain injury; Aβ; tau; MRI; MRI-visible perivascular spaces; CSF
• ISSN: 1664-0640; 1664-0640
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.921203

To investigate the association of MRI-visible perivascular spaces (PVS) with cognitive impairment in military veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau and Aβ mediate this effect. We included 55 Vietnam War veterans with a history of TBI and 52 non-TBI Vietnam War veterans from the Department of Defense Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. All the subjects had brain MRI, CSF p-tau, Aβ, and neuropsychological examinations. MRI-visible PVS number and grade were rated on MRI in the centrum semiovale (CSO-PVS) and basal ganglia (BG-PVS). Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the association between MRI-visible PVS and cognitive impairment and the interaction effect of TBI. Additionally, mediation effect of CSF biomarkers on the relationship between MRI-visible PVS and cognitive impairment was explored in TBI group. Compared with military control, TBI group had higher CSO-PVS number ( = 0.001), CSF p-tau ( = 0.022) and poorer performance in verbal memory ( = 0.022). High CSO-PVS number was associated with poor verbal memory in TBI group (β = -0.039, 95% CI -0.062, -0.016), but not in military control group (β = 0.019, 95% CI -0.004, 0.043) ( -interaction = 0.003). Further mediation analysis revealed that CSF p-tau had a significant indirect effect (β = -0.009, 95% CI: -0.022 -0.001, = 0.001) and mediated 18.75% effect for the relationship between CSO-PVS and verbal memory in TBI group. MRI-visible CSO-PVS was more common in Vietnam War veterans with a history of TBI and was associated with poor verbal memory, mediated partially by CSF p-tau.