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Characterizing aging in the human brainstem using quantitative multimodal MRI analysis.

Lambert, C; Chowdhury, R; Fitzgerald, TH; Fleming, SM; Lutti, A; Hutton, C; Draganski, B; Frackowiak, R; Ashburner, J (2013) Characterizing aging in the human brainstem using quantitative multimodal MRI analysis. FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE, 7 (462). ISSN 1662-5161 https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00462
SGUL Authors: Lambert, Christian Paul

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Abstract

Aging is ubiquitous to the human condition. The MRI correlates of healthy aging have been extensively investigated using a range of modalities, including volumetric MRI, quantitative MRI (qMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging. Despite this, the reported brainstem related changes remain sparse. This is, in part, due to the technical and methodological limitations in quantitatively assessing and statistically analyzing this region. By utilizing a new method of brainstem segmentation, a large cohort of 100 healthy adults were assessed in this study for the effects of aging within the human brainstem in vivo. Using qMRI, tensor-based morphometry (TBM), and voxel-based quantification (VBQ), the volumetric and quantitative changes across healthy adults between 19 and 75 years were characterized. In addition to the increased R2* in substantia nigra corresponding to increasing iron deposition with age, several novel findings were reported in the current study. These include selective volumetric loss of the brachium conjunctivum, with a corresponding decrease in magnetization transfer and increase in proton density (PD), accounting for the previously described “midbrain shrinkage.” Additionally, we found increases in R1 and PD in several pontine and medullary structures. We consider these changes in the context of well-characterized, functional age-related changes, and propose potential biophysical mechanisms. This study provides detailed quantitative analysis of the internal architecture of the brainstem and provides a baseline for further studies of neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by early, pre-clinical involvement of the brainstem, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: PubMed ID: 23970860 © 2013 Lambert, Chowdhury, FitzGerald, Fleming, Lutti, Hutton, Draganski, Frackowiak and Ashburner. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Keywords: aging, brainstem, quantitative MRI, tensor-based morphometry, voxel-based quantification, Science & Technology, Social Sciences, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Neurosciences, Psychology, Neurosciences & Neurology, NEUROSCIENCES, PSYCHOLOGY, VOXEL-BASED MORPHOMETRY, MAGNETIZATION-TRANSFER, IN-VIVO, UNIFIED SEGMENTATION, SUBSTANTIA-NIGRA, PHYSIOLOGICAL NOISE, HEALTHY-ADULTS, TRANSMIT FIELD, FUNCTIONAL MRI, WHITE-MATTER
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS) > Neuroscience (INCCNS)
Journal or Publication Title: FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
ISSN: 1662-5161
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Dates:
DateEvent
20 August 2013Published
Web of Science ID: WOS:000323302800001
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URI: http://sgultest.da.ulcc.ac.uk/id/eprint/102761
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00462

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