Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans

Abstract Regular voluntary exercise has been shown to increase waste transport through the glymphatic system in mice. Here, we investigate the impact of physical exercise on both upstream and downstream brain waste clearance in healthy volunteers via noninvasive MR imaging. Putative glymphatic influ...

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Main Authors: Roh-Eul Yoo, Jun-Hee Kim, Hyo Youl Moon, Jae Yeon Park, Seongmin Cheon, Hyun-Suk Shin, Dohyun Han, Yukyoum Kim, Sung-Hong Park, Seung Hong Choi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58726-1
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author Roh-Eul Yoo
Jun-Hee Kim
Hyo Youl Moon
Jae Yeon Park
Seongmin Cheon
Hyun-Suk Shin
Dohyun Han
Yukyoum Kim
Sung-Hong Park
Seung Hong Choi
author_facet Roh-Eul Yoo
Jun-Hee Kim
Hyo Youl Moon
Jae Yeon Park
Seongmin Cheon
Hyun-Suk Shin
Dohyun Han
Yukyoum Kim
Sung-Hong Park
Seung Hong Choi
author_sort Roh-Eul Yoo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Regular voluntary exercise has been shown to increase waste transport through the glymphatic system in mice. Here, we investigate the impact of physical exercise on both upstream and downstream brain waste clearance in healthy volunteers via noninvasive MR imaging. Putative glymphatic influx, evaluated using intravenous contrast-enhanced dynamic T1 mapping, increases significantly at the putamen after 12 weeks of long-term exercise using a cycle ergometer. The putative meningeal lymphatic vessel size and flow, measured by intravenous contrast-enhanced black-blood imaging and IR-ALADDIN technique, increase significantly after long-term exercise. Plasma proteomics reveals significant changes in inflammation-related and immune-related proteins (down-regulated: S100A8, S100A9, PSMA3, and DEFA1A3; up-regulated: J chain) after long-term exercise, which correlate with putative glymphatic influx or mLV flow. Our results suggest that increased glymphatic and mLV flow may be the potential mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effects of exercise on cognition, highlighting the importance of long-term, regular exercise.
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spelling doaj-art-a5e76b203f0e4273a2dd5f619f25e11a2025-08-20T02:17:05ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-58726-1Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humansRoh-Eul Yoo0Jun-Hee Kim1Hyo Youl Moon2Jae Yeon Park3Seongmin Cheon4Hyun-Suk Shin5Dohyun Han6Yukyoum Kim7Sung-Hong Park8Seung Hong Choi9Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of MedicineMedical Research Center, Seoul National UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Seoul National UniversityDepartment of Physical Education, Seoul National UniversitySchool of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National UniversityProteomics Core Facility, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University HospitalProteomics Core Facility, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University HospitalDepartment of Physical Education, Seoul National UniversityDepartment of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of MedicineAbstract Regular voluntary exercise has been shown to increase waste transport through the glymphatic system in mice. Here, we investigate the impact of physical exercise on both upstream and downstream brain waste clearance in healthy volunteers via noninvasive MR imaging. Putative glymphatic influx, evaluated using intravenous contrast-enhanced dynamic T1 mapping, increases significantly at the putamen after 12 weeks of long-term exercise using a cycle ergometer. The putative meningeal lymphatic vessel size and flow, measured by intravenous contrast-enhanced black-blood imaging and IR-ALADDIN technique, increase significantly after long-term exercise. Plasma proteomics reveals significant changes in inflammation-related and immune-related proteins (down-regulated: S100A8, S100A9, PSMA3, and DEFA1A3; up-regulated: J chain) after long-term exercise, which correlate with putative glymphatic influx or mLV flow. Our results suggest that increased glymphatic and mLV flow may be the potential mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effects of exercise on cognition, highlighting the importance of long-term, regular exercise.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58726-1
spellingShingle Roh-Eul Yoo
Jun-Hee Kim
Hyo Youl Moon
Jae Yeon Park
Seongmin Cheon
Hyun-Suk Shin
Dohyun Han
Yukyoum Kim
Sung-Hong Park
Seung Hong Choi
Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
Nature Communications
title Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
title_full Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
title_fullStr Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
title_full_unstemmed Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
title_short Long-term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
title_sort long term physical exercise facilitates putative glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel flow in humans
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58726-1
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