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Thinning of the cerebral cortex in aging
David H Salat1, Randy L Buckner, Abraham Z Snyder
1MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA. salat@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 1, 2004
Summary
Cerebral cortex thickness decreases with age, starting by middle age, affecting both men and women similarly. This age-related thinning is widespread across the brain, impacting primary and association cortices.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related changes in the brain are a significant area of research.
- Understanding cortical thickness changes is crucial for cognitive health studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-associated changes in cerebral cortical thickness.
- To identify specific regions of the cortex affected by age-related thinning.
Main Methods:
- Structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired from 106 non-demented participants (aged 18-93).
- Multiple MRI scans per participant were averaged for high-resolution data.
- Cortical thickness was estimated as the distance between gray/white matter boundaries.
Main Results:
- Global cortical thinning was observed starting by middle age.
- Age-associated thinning was widespread, with regional differences in atrophy and sparing.
- Prominent atrophy was noted in prefrontal, motor, and visual cortices, with relative sparing in temporal and parahippocampal regions.
- Patterns of atrophy were consistent across independent data subsets, indicating reliability.
Conclusions:
- Cortical thinning is an age-associated phenomenon beginning by middle age.
- These changes affect widespread cortical regions, including primary and association areas.
- Findings provide a reliable map of age-related cortical changes.