Perivascular and parenchymal fluid characteristics differentially contribute to cognition in typically developing children and adolescents

Motivation: Perivascular spaces (PVS) play a critical role in fluid transfer and waste clearance in the brain, but few studies have explored how alterations to perivascular fluid flow may impact brain maturation and behaviorGoal(s): This study aims to characterize age-related alterations to perivascular and parenchymal fluid flow characteristics in typically developing children and assess their contribution to cognition. Approach: We employ multi-compartment diffusion models to quantify free water diffusion characteristics within automatically defined perivascular spaces using enhanced PVS contrasts. Results: Our findings show free water diffusion characteristics within the PVS and surrounding parenchyma are associated with age and cognitive scores. Impact: Our findings suggest alterations to perivascular space function may occur as early as childhood. Variations in perivascular and parenchymal fluid properties may be predictive of cognitive outcomes in adolescents, thus underscoring the importance of waste clearance functionality on brain health.