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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Decrease in glucose metabolism in frontal cortex associated with deterioration of microstructure of corpus callosum
Kentaro Inoue1, Hiroshi Ito, Shinya Uchida
1Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. kenta@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
Human Brain Mapping
|April 24, 2007
Summary
In healthy older adults, disrupted white matter (WM) fibers in the corpus callosum (CC) correlate with reduced frontal cortex glucose metabolism. This suggests decreased neuronal activity without gray matter loss in aging brains.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
Background:
- Neuronal signaling relies on interconnected fibers.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) visualizes white matter (WM) tracts in vivo.
- Aging may disrupt WM microstructure and decrease brain glucose metabolism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between callosal white matter microstructure and regional glucose metabolism in healthy elderly individuals.
- To determine if age-related changes in corpus callosum integrity are linked to frontal lobe metabolic activity.
Main Methods:
- Recruited fifteen healthy volunteers in their seventies.
- Measured Fractional Anisotropy (FA) of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum (CC) using DTI.
- Analyzed correlations between CC FA and regional glucose metabolism (rMGlu) using SPM2, with voxel-based morphometry for gray matter analysis.
Main Results:
- Found a significant positive correlation between frontal cortex rMGlu and the FA of the genu of the CC.
- No significant correlation was observed between the FA of the splenium of the CC and rMGlu.
- Voxel-based morphometry revealed no gray matter concentration decrease associated with FA.
Conclusions:
- Disruption of the genu of the corpus callosum's white matter microstructure is associated with reduced neuronal activity in the frontal cortex in healthy aging.
- These metabolic changes occur independently of gray matter atrophy.
- Suggests a specific link between frontal lobe function and anterior white matter integrity during aging.
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