---
title: "Choroid Plexus Calcification in Lateral, Third, and Fourth Ventricles: Links to Aging, Brain Struc"
id: "biorxiv-21-regional-choroid-plexus-calcifications-and-their-associations-with-aging-brain"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-21-regional-choroid-plexus-calcifications-and-their-associations-with-aging-brain"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750525v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-16T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Choroid Plexus Calcification in Lateral, Third, and Fourth Ventricles: Links to Aging, Brain Struc
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-21-regional-choroid-plexus-calcifications-and-their-associations-with-aging-brain
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750525v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-16T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The choroid plexus (CP) regulates brain homeostasis via cerebrospinal fluid production and the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier; CP dysfunction is implicated in aging and neurologic disease. - CP dysfunction can manifest as enlargement or **calcific** tissue change; prior population imaging focused on CP volume in the lateral ventricles and could not specifically identify calcification. - Using **quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM)** in 30,012 UK Biobank participants, the study performed a multi-ventricular assessment of CP calcification (CPcal) in the lateral (LV), third (3rdV), and fourth (4thV) ventricles—the largest such study reported. - CPcal increased with age, with the strongest age association in the lateral ventricle (reported correlation r = 0.191). - Male sex was associated with greater CPcal in the LV and 3rdV (effect sizes d = 0.249–0.359); calcification prevalence in the 4thV was higher in males (odds ratio = 1.274). - Greater CPcal correlated with diagnoses in endocrine/metabolic, psychiatric, nervous system, and circulatory categories; associations were strongest and most consistent in the **third ventricle** (effect sizes d = 0.097–0.125). - Associations with some conditions—most notably diabetes (d = 0.303) and tobacco use disorder (d = 0.314)—remained after adjusting for ventricular volume. - A maternal family history of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) was associated with greater LV CPcal (d = 0.063). - CPcal related to brain structure: small associations with cortical and subcortical volumes (r = 0.033–0.046), white matter microstructure (r = 0.017–0.042), and subcortical susceptibility (r = -0.064–0.131). - QSM-derived CPcal is a scalable, radiation-free imaging phenotype that complements volumetry by specifically characterizing **calcific CP tissue**, with potential relevance to cardiometabolic health, brain aging, and neurodegenerative risk, particularly in the 3rdV.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Regional choroid plexus calcifications and their associations with aging, brain structure, and disease | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Regional choroid plexus calcifications and their associations with aging, brain structure, and disease View ORCID Profile Iyad Ba Gari , View ORCID Profile Alyssa Zhu , View ORCID Profile Ravi R Bhatt , View ORCID Profile Talia M Nir , View ORCID Profile Neda Jahanshad doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750525 Iyad Ba Gari Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Iyad Ba Gari For correspondence: iyad.bagari{at}usc.edu Alyssa Zhu Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Alyssa Zhu Ravi R Bhatt Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Ravi R Bhatt Talia M Nir Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Talia M Nir Neda Jahanshad Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Neda Jahanshad Abstract Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Preview PDF Abstract The choroid plexus (CP) maintains brain homeostasis through cerebrospinal fluid production and formation of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, and its dysfunction has been linked with aging and neurological disease. CP dysfunction may involve both enlargement and calcific tissue change, which may reflect distinct processes; yet population neuroimaging has focused on lateral ventricle CP volume, which cannot directly identify calcified tissue. Using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in 30,012 UK Biobank participants, we conducted, to our knowledge, the first large scale multi-ventricular study of CP calcification (CPcal), quantifying the lateral (LV), third (3rdV) and fourth (4thV) ventricles. We examined associations with age and sex, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic, mental and behavioral, nervous system, and circulatory diagnoses; family history of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD); cardiometabolic traits; and brain macrostructure, white matter microstructure, and subcortical susceptibility. CPcal increased with age (largest association: LV, r = 0.191) and was greater in males in the LV and 3rdV (d = 0.249-0.359) and more prevalent in the 4thV (OR = 1.274). Greater CPcal was associated with endocrine and metabolic, psychiatric, nervous system, and circulatory disorders, with the strongest and most consistent associations observed in the 3rdV (d = 0.097 - 0.125) and persisted after adjustment for ventricular volume, particularly for diabetes (d = 0.303) and tobacco use disorder (d = 0.314). Maternal ADRD family history was associated with greater LV CPcal (d = 0.063). CPcal was also associated with cortical and subcortical volumes (r = 0.033 - 0.046), white matter microstructure (r = 0.017 - 0.042), and subcortical susceptibility (r = -0.064 - 0.131). QSM-derived CPcal is a scalable, radiation-free imaging phenotype that complements volumetry by characterizing calcific CP tissue, which is associated with cardiometabolic health, brain aging, and neurodegenerative risk, particularly in the third ventricle. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funder Information Declared National Institutes of Health , R01AG087513 , RF1NS136995 , R01AG059874 , R01MH134004 , S10OD032285 Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Posted September 16, 2026. Download PDF Supplementary Material Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Regional choroid plexus calcifications and their associations with aging, brain structure, and disease Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Regional choroid plexus calcifications and their associations with aging, brain structure, and disease Iyad Ba Gari , Alyssa Zhu , Ravi R Bhatt , Talia M Nir , Neda Jahanshad bioRxiv 2026.09.10.750525; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750525 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Regional choroid plexus calcifications and their associations with aging, brain structure, and disease Iyad Ba Gari , Alyssa Zhu , Ravi R Bhatt , Talia M Nir , Neda Jahanshad bioRxiv 2026.09.10.750525; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750525 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8000) Biochemistry (18706) Bioengineering (14825) Bioinformatics (44339) Biophysics (22552) Cancer Biology (19667) Cell Biology (26834) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13930) Ecology (20965) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25408) Genetics (16144) Genomics (23465) Immunology (18668) Microbiology (42394) Molecular Biology (18019) Neuroscience (93300) Paleontology (699) Pathology (2976) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5083) Physiology (8102) Plant Biology (15964) Scientific Communication and Education (2094) Synthetic Biology (4549) Systems Biology (10214) Zoology (2382)
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