Recently, Associate Researcher Liu Shuangwu from the School of Nursing and Rehabilitation of Shandong University made new progress in the field of glymphatic function in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The related research results were published in Brain, an international journal of neurology (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zone 1, IF14.5), with the title "Glymphatic dysfunction in patients with early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis". Associate Researcher Liu Shuangwu from the School of Nursing and Rehabilitation of Shandong University is the first author. Postdoctoral fellow Sun Xiaohan from the Department of Neurology of Qilu Hospital is the co-first author. Professor Lin Pengfei and Professor Yan Chuanzhu from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University are the co-corresponding authors, and the School of Nursing and Rehabilitation of Shandong University is the first author unit.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with both clinical and hereditary heterogeneity. Although animal studies have indicated that early glymphatic dysfunction is likely an important pathological mechanism underpinning ALS, no available study has been conducted to thoroughly assess glymphatic function in vivo in ALS patients to date, particularly in early-stage ALS patients.

On this basis, using DTI analysis along the perivascular space (ALPS) index, an approximate measure of glymphatic function in vivo, the research group of Associate Researcher Liu found that early-stage ALS patients could exhibit significant glymphatic dysfunction. Moreover, the decline in sleep efficiency and the increase of periodic limb movements in sleep index were closely related to glymphatic dysfunction in early-stage ALS patients.

In addition, the ALPS index is likely to be a promising marker to assist in the early diagnosis of ALS patients, and this study revealed that early improvement of glymphatic function may be a potential strategy for slowing the neurodegenerative process of ALS. The results of the study further expanded the understanding of the relationship between the glymphatic system and neurodegenerative diseases, and are conducive to developing new therapies focusing on relevant targets for neurodegenerative diseases with glymphatic dysfunction.

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Project and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.