ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging Methods
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1566957
Deciphering Aquaporin-4's Influence on Perivascular Diffusion Indices Using DTI in Rat Stroke Studies
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Health Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- 2Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- 3Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
- 4School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- 5Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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Background: This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic changes of perivascular space diffusion index (index for diffusivity along the perivascular space, ALPS) and its relationship with aquaporin 4 (AQP4) polarization after cerebral ischemia in rats.Methods: Rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and evaluated at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days post-ischemia using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI).ALPS index was determined from imaging data, focusing on periventricular and corpus callosum/cingulate regions. Brains were analyzed for AQP4 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) via immunofluorescence.Results: Results showed that ischemic rats displayed reduced ALPS indexes, particularly on the ipsilateral side, with an initial decrease at day 1 and subsequent recovery by days 14 and 28. AQP4 polarization in the non-glial scar area around the infarction followed a similar pattern, demonstrating that there was a concordant trend between the ALPS index and AQP4 polarization status.Conclusions: In conclusion, the ALPS index can reflect changes in AQP4-mediated glymphatic pathway function, suggesting a significant decline in the hyperacute phase and a notable recovery in the early chronic phase, which may have implications for stroke therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: cerebral ischemia, Glymphatic pathway, DTI, ALPS index, AQP4 polarization
Received: 14 Feb 2025; Accepted: 10 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tian, Zhang, Liu, Li and Hao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaozhu Hao, Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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