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Perivascular spaces in the brain: anatomy, physiology and pathology
Wardlaw JM, Benveniste H, Nedergaard M, Zlokovic BV, Mestre H, Lee H, Doubal FN, Brown R et al.. Nature reviews. Neurology, 2020-02-24
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Perivascular spaces include a variety of passageways around arterioles, capillaries and venules in the brain, along which a range of substances can move. Although perivascular spaces were first identified over 150 years ago, they have come to prominence recently owing to advances in knowledge of their roles in clearance of interstitial fluid and waste from the brain, particularly during sleep, and in the pathogenesis of small vessel disease, Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders. Experimental advances have facilitated in vivo studies of perivascular space function in intact rodent models during wakefulness and sleep, and MRI in humans has enabled perivascular space morphology to be related to cognitive function, vascular risk factors, vascular and neurodegenerative brain lesions, sleep patterns and cerebral haemodynamics. Many questions about perivascular spaces remain, but what is now clear is that normal perivascular space function is important for maintaining brain health. Here, we review perivascular space anatomy, physiology and pathology, particularly as seen with MRI in humans, and consider translation from models to humans to highlight knowns, unknowns, controversies and clinical relevance.
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APA 7th
Wardlaw, J. M., Benveniste, H., Nedergaard, M., Zlokovic, B. V., Mestre, H., Lee, H., et al. (2020). Perivascular spaces in the brain: anatomy, physiology and pathology. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-020-0312-z
Vancouver
Wardlaw JM, Benveniste H, Nedergaard M, Zlokovic BV, Mestre H, Lee H, et al. Perivascular spaces in the brain: anatomy, physiology and pathology. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2020. doi:10.1038/s41582-020-0312-z. PMID: 32094487.
BibTeX
@article{wardlaw2020-32094487,
author = {Wardlaw, J. M. and Benveniste, H. and Nedergaard, M. and Zlokovic, B. V. and Mestre, H. and Lee, H. and Doubal, F. N. and Brown, R. and others},
title = {{Perivascular spaces in the brain: anatomy, physiology and pathology}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1038/s41582-020-0312-z},
pmid = {32094487},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-020-0312-z}
}
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.
Key findings
- Perivascular spaces include a variety of passageways around arterioles, capillaries and venules in the brain, along which a range of substances can move.
- Although perivascular spaces were first identified over 150 years ago, they have come to prominence recently owing to advances in knowledge of their roles in clearance of interstitial fluid and waste from the brain, particularly during sleep, and in the pathogenesis of small vessel disease, Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.
- Experimental advances have facilitated in vivo studies of perivascular space function in intact rodent models during wakefulness and sleep, and MRI in humans has enabled perivascular space morphology to be related to cognitive function, vascular risk factors, vascular and neurodegenerative brain lesions, sleep patterns and cerebral haemodynamics.
- Many questions about perivascular spaces remain, but what is now clear is that normal perivascular space function is important for maintaining brain health.
- Here, we review perivascular space anatomy, physiology and pathology, particularly as seen with MRI in humans, and consider translation from models to humans to highlight knowns, unknowns, controversies and clinical relevance.
Why it matters
This review describes perivascular spaces and their role in clearing fluid and waste from the brain, and notes their involvement in small vessel disease and Alzheimer's disease. It is a review of anatomy, physiology and pathology and reports no treatment that cures or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 54 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 869 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 108.6 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 453 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 18 institution(s) in 5 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32094487) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 52 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 52 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 54 out of 100. |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41582-020-0312-z
- PubMed: 32094487
- Original source →
- Free full text: Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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