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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.11.26.625277

White matter hyperintensities and microplastics

Bearer, E. L.·Garcia, M. A.·Adolphi, N. L.·Campen, M. J.
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Abstract

SynopsisWhite matter hyperintensities are abnormalities that appear in MRI scans of living patients but are not apparent in MRI post-mortem. GoalOur goal is to understand the cellular/biological basis of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). ApproachWe aligned post-mortem MR scans with those collected ante-mortem and performed histopathology and pyrGC/MS for plastics on regions with WMH. ResultPyrGC/MS detected large amounts of plastics and we determined their cellular locations with a novel optical imaging approach in regions with small vessel disease and Abeta plaques. ImpactMicroplastics in the brains of people with cognitive impairment may be due to pre-existing vascular injury or contribute to it. Many questions remain: Where do they come from, do they impair function? Can they be diagnosed by MRI ante-mortem?

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Bearer, E. L., Garcia, M. A., Adolphi, N. L., Campen, M. J.. 2024-11-27. White matter hyperintensities and microplastics. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.26.625277

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