Alterations in MRI indices of Glymphatic System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Focus on Networks of Perivascular Spaces

Motivation: The mechanism of neurological changes in SLE patients remains unknown, and MRI is a noninvasive method used to estimate the Glymphatic System function. Goal(s): To investigate whether the function of Glymphatic System is impaired in SLE patients. Approach: We employed three noninvasive MRI indices: perivascular space (PVS), extracellular free water (FW), and diffusion tensor imaging analysis along PVS (DTI-ALPS) to assess the Glymphatic System function of SLE patients. Results: Compared to HCs, patients with SLE had significantly higher PVSVF-WM and FW-WM values, as well as lower ALPS-index. Furthermore, we found significant correlations among three MRI indices of the Glymphatic System across all participants. Impact: Our study revealed impairments in Glymphatic System of SLE patients, providing a noninvasive MRI biomarkers for comprehensively quantifying Glymphatic activity in SLE patients. Furthermore, the correlations among the components of Glymphatic System may explain the relationships among its structural compartments.