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Glymphatic activity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: Link with vascular function and astrocytic activation
Min Chu, Ailing Yue, Shaozhen Yan, Boyang Yu, Qianqian He, Yufei Chen, Jiahui Hou, Haitian Nan et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-08-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Glymphatic activity in bvFTD correlated strongly with vascular dysfunction and astrocytic activation, and was associated with brain changes and clinical severity. Astrocytic activation mediates the association between vascular and glymphatic function. Astrocytic activation mediates the association between glymphatic function and clinical scales, whereas glymphatic function mediates the association between vascular function and clinical scales. The interaction effect was found between vascular function and glymphatic activity on white matter hyperintensity. Our findings reveal a complex interrelationship among glymphatic, vascular, and inflammatory mechanisms in FTD, highlighting their collective impact on disease severity. Highlight Vascular function, astrocytic activation, and glymphatic activity correlate with each other in frontotemporal dementia. Glymphatic activity mediates the association between vascular function and cognition. Astrocytic activation mediates the association between glymphatic function and cognition. Vascular and glymphatic function synergy drives white matter hyperintensity.
Key findings
- Glymphatic activity in bvFTD correlated strongly with vascular dysfunction and astrocytic activation, and was associated with brain changes and clinical severity.
- Astrocytic activation mediates the association between vascular and glymphatic function.
- Astrocytic activation mediates the association between glymphatic function and clinical scales, whereas glymphatic function mediates the association between vascular function and clinical scales.
- The interaction effect was found between vascular function and glymphatic activity on white matter hyperintensity.
- Our findings reveal a complex interrelationship among glymphatic, vascular, and inflammatory mechanisms in FTD, highlighting their collective impact on disease severity.
Why it matters
In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, glymphatic activity was strongly linked to vascular dysfunction and astrocyte activation, and these factors together related to brain changes and clinical severity. The findings describe complex relationships among these mechanisms but do not test or offer a treatment.
Study details
- Participants61
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 61 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 11 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Liyong Wu: h-index 14 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Chinese Academy of Sciences: institution h-index 1,801 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40791104) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Chu, M., Yue, A., Yan, S., Yu, B., He, Q., Chen, Y., et al. (2025). Glymphatic activity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: Link with vascular function and astrocytic activation. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70561
Vancouver
Chu M, Yue A, Yan S, Yu B, He Q, Chen Y, et al. Glymphatic activity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: Link with vascular function and astrocytic activation. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70561. PMID: 40791104.
BibTeX
@article{chu2025-40791104,
author = {Chu, Min and Yue, Ailing and Yan, Shaozhen and Yu, Boyang and He, Qianqian and Chen, Yufei and Hou, Jiahui and Nan, Haitian and others},
title = {{Glymphatic activity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: Link with vascular function and astrocytic activation}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70561},
pmid = {40791104},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70561}
}
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