Region-specific changes of cerebral white matter during normal aging: a diffusion-tensor analysis.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Gerontology

Background:

• Brain aging is associated with tissue degeneration and cognitive decline.
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a sensitive neuroimaging technique for assessing white matter (WM) microstructure.
• Understanding age-dependent changes in brain microstructure is crucial for diagnosing neurological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-dependent and region-specific patterns of brain microstructure changes using DTI.
• To analyze changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in healthy Korean adults across different age groups.
• To identify specific brain regions most vulnerable to age-related white matter alterations.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) analysis was performed on 58 healthy Korean volunteers.
• Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values were measured in 22 regions of interest (ROIs).
• Linear regression and analysis of variance were used to compare FA and ADC values across age groups.

Main Results:

• Aging was associated with increased ADC values and decreased FA values in the brain white matter.
• Regional changes in FA patterns were categorized into three subgroups.
• The cingulum showed the earliest signs of aging, with a posterior gradient of accelerated WM changes observed over decades.

Conclusions:

• DTI is a sensitive diagnostic tool for detecting subtle age-related microstructural changes in the brain.
• White matter exhibits region-specific vulnerability to the aging process.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiology of brain aging and potential diagnostic markers.