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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans

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Published on: December 18, 2016

White matter loss in healthy ageing: a postmortem analysis.

O Piguet¹, K L Double, J J Kril

¹Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and the University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia. o.piguet@powmri.edu.au

Neurobiology of Aging

|December 14, 2007

Summary

Healthy brain aging primarily affects white matter, not grey matter. Postmortem studies reveal smaller age-related volume changes compared to neuroimaging, suggesting healthy brain aging predominantly impacts white matter integrity.

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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Published on: July 28, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Gerontology
Anatomy

Background:

Age-related brain volume changes are well-documented but inconsistently reported.
Discrepancies exist between neuroimaging and postmortem studies regarding the extent of age-related brain volume loss.
The precise impact of chronological age on specific brain regions remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify age-related volume changes in 26 distinct brain regions using postmortem measurements.
To compare postmortem findings with existing neuroimaging data on brain aging.
To clarify the specific brain structures affected by healthy aging.

Main Methods:

Postmortem volume measurements of 26 cortical, subcortical, and white matter regions.
Analysis of 24 human brains from individuals aged 46-92 years, free of neuropathological abnormalities.
Comparison of regional volume changes with chronological age.

Main Results:

Significant age-related volume loss was observed in anterior and posterior white matter.
No significant age-related loss was detected in total grey matter volumes.
Cortical subregion analyses showed smaller age-related changes than previously reported in MRI studies.

Conclusions:

Healthy brain aging predominantly affects white matter, with minimal impact on grey matter volume.
Postmortem studies indicate less pronounced age-related brain volume changes than neuroimaging studies.
Discrepancies may stem from neuroimaging data noise, highlighting white matter's vulnerability in aging.