Neuroplasticity associates with glymphatic dysfunction during recovery after capsular and pontine stroke

Motivation: Ischemic stroke induces neuroplasticity and glymphatic dysfunction, but their association in stroke patients remains unclear. Goal(s): To investigate association between neuroplasticity and glymphatic dysfunction during stroke recovery. Approach: We investigated the association during recovery in patients with capsular stroke (CS) and pontine stroke (PS) by measuring noninvasive MRI-derived cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and the diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index. Results: We found negative, long-term, bidirectional associations between neuroplasticity and glymphatic dysfunction in CS and PS patients, suggesting a sustained mutual influence between them during stroke recovery. Impact: Negative, long-term, and bidirectional associations between neuroplasticity and glymphatic dysfunction were observed in stroke patients during recovery. The negative characteristics suggested that neuroplasticity might cause glymphatic dysfunction, and the long-term, bidirectional characteristics suggested a sustained mutual influence during stroke recovery.