Divergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers.

TitleDivergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2025
AuthorsOzsahin I, Wang X, Zhou L, Xi K, Hojjati SHani, Tanzi E, Maloney T, Fung EK, Dyke JP, Chen K, Pahlajani S, McIntire LBeth, Costa APaula, Dartora WJones, Razlighi QR, Glodzik L, Li Y, Chiang GC, Rusinek H, de Leon MJ, Butler TA
JournalSci Rep
Volume15
Issue1
Pagination12818
Date Published2025 Apr 14
ISSN2045-2322
KeywordsAged, Alzheimer Disease, Apolipoprotein E4, Calcinosis, Calcium, Choroid Plexus, Cognition, Female, Genotype, Heterozygote, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Positron-Emission Tomography
Abstract

Choroid plexus (CP), best known for producing CSF, also regulate inflammation and clear metabolic waste to maintain brain homeostasis. CP dysfunction is implicated in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), with MRI studies showing CP enlargement in AD. The basis for CP enlargement is unknown. We hypothesized that calcium deposition within CP, which increases with aging and in certain neurodegenerative conditions, might underlie pathologic CP enlargement and be linked to neurodegeneration. In 166 cognitively normal participants, we used multimodal imaging to examine CP structure (MRI-measured overall volume, CT-measured calcium volume), PET-measured Aβ, age, and APOE genotype as predictors of neurodegeneration, indexed as hippocampal volume. CP enlargement was associated with reduced hippocampal volume, particularly in APOE4 carriers. CP calcium was not independently associated with hippocampal volume. However, a significant interaction revealed APOE4 genotype-specific associations between CP calcium and neurodegeneration, with APOE4 carriers showing greater hippocampal volumes in association with greater CP calcium-opposite to our hypothesis. Results suggest that a factor other than calcium drives pathologic CP enlargement associated with neurodegeneration, with this factor especially important in APOE4 carriers. Candidate factors include lipids and inflammatory cells, which are known to accumulate in CP and be regulated by APOE. Our findings highlight CP as a critical locus for studying AD pathogenesis and the mechanisms by which APOE4 promotes AD.

DOI10.1038/s41598-025-97409-1
Alternate JournalSci Rep
PubMed ID40229453
PubMed Central IDPMC11997051
Grant ListR01 AG078800 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States