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Whole brain N-acetylaspartate concentration is conserved throughout normal aging
William E Wu1, Achim Gass, Lidia Glodzik
1Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Neurobiology of Aging
|January 17, 2012
Summary
Normal aging maintains neuronal integrity, as shown by stable whole-brain N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentrations. However, brain atrophy and whole-head NAA levels increase with age, suggesting tissue loss without neuronal compromise.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Normal aging is often associated with cognitive decline, but the underlying neuronal changes are not fully understood.
- N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is a key marker of neuronal integrity.
- Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding NAA levels in aging brains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether neuronal integrity, indicated by whole-brain N-acetylaspartate (WBNAA) concentrations, is maintained during normal aging.
- To examine age-related changes in whole-head N-acetylaspartate (WHNAA) and fractional brain parenchyma volume (fBPV) as indicators of brain atrophy.
Main Methods:
- Proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy was used to measure WBNAA and WHNAA concentrations.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was segmented to determine fBPV, a measure of brain atrophy.
- Two groups of healthy participants were studied: young adults (31.9 ± 5.8 years) and cognitively normal elderly individuals (72.6 ± 7.3 years).
Main Results:
- WBNAA concentrations were similar in young (12.8 ± 1.9 mM) and elderly (13.1 ± 3.1 mM) participants (p > 0.05).
- fBPV was significantly higher in young individuals (87.3 ± 4.7%) compared to the elderly (74.8 ± 4.8%) (p < 0.0001).
- WHNAA concentrations were also significantly higher in young individuals (11.1 ± 1.7 mM) than in the elderly (9.8 ± 2.4 mM) (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Normal aging appears to preserve neuronal integrity, as evidenced by stable WBNAA concentrations across age groups.
- Age-related increases in fBPV and WHNAA suggest brain atrophy occurs independently of neuronal loss.
- WBNAA may serve as a reliable biomarker for assessing normal brain aging and detecting abnormalities.
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