The intersection of amyloid and cerebrovascular pathology: the perivascular
space 
   Lead Investigator:    Erin Boespflug
   Institution      :    Oregon Health  Science University
   E-Mail           :    boespfle@ohsu.edu
   Proposal ID      :    1100


   Publications:


1  Schwartz DL, Boespflug EL, Lahna DL Pollock J, Roese NE, Silbert LC
   Autoidentification of perivascular spaces in white matter using clinical field strength T1 and FLAIR MR imaging
   Journal Article  Neuroimage,202:116126,2019,PMC6819269

   PUBLISHED





   Proposal Description:
   While the perivascular space (PVS) is at the intersection of demonstrated   vascular and waste clearance mechanisms in Alzheimer?s disease pathobiology,    there presently are no data that directly address the relative and/or             synergistic contributions of these systems to enlargement of the PVS (ePVS).      Further, the specific clinical correlates of ePVS in Alzheimer?s disease and    related dementias remain to be studied. A long#8208term research goal is to         understand the dynamic relationship between brain and vascular function in the    setting of Alzheimer?s disease pathophysiology, with a specific focus on        elucidating the role of the perivascular compartment in linking these systems     and its potential as a therapeutic target. An early step towards this goal is     to understand the extent to which clinical and pathological features of           vascular#8208 and amyloid#8208based pathologies are associated with ePVS, and to      begin to test the hypothesis that ePVS are a reflection of impaired waste         clearance mechanisms. Recently developed methods from our group [1] which         provide significantly improved measurement range over visual rating scales and    allow for regional quantification, will be used to quantify ePVS in magnetic      resonance imaging (MRI) data. These data will be analyzed in conjunction with     clinical, pathology, CSF, and positron emission tomography (PET) data to          elucidate the relationships between AD and vascular                               pathology to ePVS. These studies will inform future work directed at the          mechanistic underpinnings of these features, with the goal of identifying novel   therapeutic targets for Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias.              Aim 1: Characterize the clinical features associated with ePVS burden in the      setting of aging, Alzheimer?s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD).        Aim 2: Determine the extent to which ePVS