Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The glymphatic system is a sleep-active pathway involved in clearing metabolic waste from the brain. Several non-invasive MRI indices have been proposed as proxies for assessing glymphatic function in vivo . However, it remains unclear whether these indices capture glymphatic dysregulation under short-term sleep loss. Using a large ENIGMA-sleep intervention dataset (n = 429) spanning ten international sites, we examined choroid plexus volume (ChPV), perivascular space volume (PVSV), the free water index (FWI), and the DTI-ALPS index, following habitual sleep (6–8 hours in bed), sleep restriction (3–6 hours in bed), and sleep deprivation (22–40 hours wakefulness). Sleep deprivation was primarily associated with decreased PVSV and ALPS and increased FWI; sleep restriction with the inverse pattern. However, coupling between MRI indices was limited, and models assuming a shared underlying glymphatic system underperformed. Age-related alterations were dissociable from sleep-related alterations and mimicked patterns previously interpreted as glymphatic dysfunction in the literature. Moreover, PVSV increased during the day, whereas ALPS and FWI followed a divergent, anticorrelated trajectory. Our findings suggest that these MRI indices reflect distinct physiological processes; and that sleep loss may influence brain fluid dynamics primarily by modulating inflow resistance through expansion and contraction of the PVS.
Source: Research Square
Authors: Masoud Tahmasian, Jorik Elberse, Daryna Apter, Daniel Aeschbach, Torbjörn Åkerstedt, Andreas Bauer, Florence Borgetto, Kristoffer Brendstrup-Brix, Congying Chu, Nathan Cross, Rachel Custer, Alexander Drzezga, Shohreh Ghorbani, Christophe Grova, Felix Hoffstaedter, Sebastian C Holst, Neda Jahanshad, Hosung Kim, Gitte Knudsen, Sara Ulv Larsen, Abdalla Mohamed, Ju Lynn Ong, Philippe Peigneux, Hanne Smevik, Kai Spiegelhalder, Sandra Tamm, Sophia Thomopoulos, Paul Thompson, Laura Waite, Nathalia Zak, Michael Wei Liang Chee, Jeiran Choupan, Thahn Dang-Vu, David Elmenhorst, Eva-Maria Elmenhorst, Torbjørn Elvsåshagen, Charlotte von Gall, Hans-Peter Landolt, Maiken Nedergaard, Gustav Nilsonne, Alexander Olsen, Govinda Poudel, Whitney Stee, Jeffrey Iliff, Simon Eickhoff
Institutions: Forschungszentrum Jülich, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR), Karolinska Institutet, Concordia University, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Automation, The University of Sydney, University of Southern California, University Hospital Cologne, National University of Singapore, McGill University, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, University of the Sunshine Coast, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Oslo University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Zurich, University of Copenhagen, Australian Catholic University, University of Washington
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Accident Compensation Corporation, Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, National University of Singapore, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Concordia University, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Karolinska Institutet, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Helse Midt-Norge, Universitetet i Oslo, Norges Forskningsråd, Universität Zürich, Lottery Health Research, Haukeland Universitetssjukehus, Vlaamse regering, Centre for Digital Life Norway, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé, National Medical Research Council, Marsden Fund, National Institute of Mental Health
Awards: ENIGMA-SD: Understanding Sex Differences in Global Mental Health through ENIGMA, G2203859638, G2547705426, SleepLess - Darstellung synaptischer Plastizität während therapeutischen Schlafentzugs in Depression, G2830282630, G2839091879, G4070917339, G4254685185, G4782182606, G4810755270, G5348040127, G5652653302, G6639562732, G675246756, G6767633949, G736754323, G7540531943, G8127199842
OpenAlex ID: W7222741102