{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,7]],"date-time":"2026-11-07T17:57:37Z","timestamp":1794074257125,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,24]],"date-time":"2026-03-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774310400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001865","name":"Latvian Council of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["lzp-2022\/1-0100"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["lzp-2022\/1-0100"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001865","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS) demonstrated by MRI have recently been associated with cerebral small vessel disease and glymphatic dysfunction, implicated in Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD) pathophysiology. This study aimed to quantify the burden of ePVS in PD patients versus healthy controls and to examine associations with cognitive performance. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 participants underwent 3T MRI, including a T2-weighted sequence. Twenty-one patients with Parkinson\u2019s disease and 21 age-matched healthy controls were included in the final analysis. The ePVS burden was assessed quantitatively by counting visible PVS in the basal ganglia and centrum semiovale, and qualitatively using Potter and Heier rating scales. Cognitive function was measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Statistical analyses used Mann\u2013Whitney U tests and Spearman correlations. Results: PD patients had significantly higher total PVS counts in the basal ganglia (84.8 vs. 48.0; p &lt; 0.001) and centrum semiovale (290.6 vs. 143.9; p &lt; 0.001). Potter scale ratings were higher in PD across regions (p \u2264 0.025). Largest per-slice PVS counts negatively correlated with MoCA scores in right basal ganglia (\u03c1 = \u22120.362, p = 0.012) and bilateral centrum semiovale (right: \u03c1 = \u22120.421, p = 0.003; left: \u03c1 = \u22120.431, p = 0.002). Heier scale differences were significant only in the right centrum semiovale (p = 0.023). PVS diameters were larger in PD only in the centrum semiovale (right: p = 0.010; left: p = 0.040). Conclusions: In this cohort, increased ePVS burden in the basal ganglia and centrum semiovale was associated with cognitive impairment in PD patients. Qualitative and quantitative PVS assessment, notably the largest-per-slice counts, may serve as a sensitive, non-invasive imaging biomarker for neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in PD. Larger group studies and longitudinal data are needed to assess their prognostic value in the long term, as well as the development of automatic quantification applications for better reproducibility.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62040613","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T12:05:49Z","timestamp":1775563549000},"page":"613","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Quantitative and Qualitative MRI Assessment of Perivascular Spaces in Parkinson\u2019s Disease Patients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3990-1993","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evelina","family":"Stagisa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga East University Hospital, Hipokrata Street 2, LV-1038 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arturs","family":"Silovs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga East University Hospital, Hipokrata Street 2, LV-1038 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Latvian Maritime Medicine Centre, Patversmes Street 29, LV-1005 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-0793-1286","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gvido Karlis","family":"Skuburs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8255-7392","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nauris","family":"Zdanovskis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga East University Hospital, Hipokrata Street 2, LV-1038 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleksejs","family":"Sevcenko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2195-0916","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Janis","family":"Mednieks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edgars","family":"Naudins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2797-3334","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santa","family":"Bartusevica","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Solvita","family":"Umbrasko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liga","family":"Zarina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Zelge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agnese Anna","family":"Pastare","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jelena","family":"Smilga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3235-970X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jurgis","family":"Skilters","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, University of Latvia, Rai\u0146a Bulv\u0101ris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baingio","family":"Pinna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ardis","family":"Platkajis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Latvian Maritime Medicine Centre, Patversmes Street 29, LV-1005 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1462","DOI":"10.1093\/cvr\/cvy113","article-title":"Understanding the Role of the Perivascular Space in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease","volume":"114","author":"Brown","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cardiovasc. 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