Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
White matter changes with age utilizing quantitative diffusion MRI
Laurie M Baker1, David H Laidlaw2, Thomas E Conturo2
1From the University of Missouri-St. Louis (L.M.B., J.M.H., J.B., L.E.S., C.U., A.B., R.H.P.); Computer Science Department (D.H.L., R.C.) and Department for Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Sciences (J.H., Y.Z., X.L.), Brown University, Providence, RI; Washington University School of Medicine (T.E.C., E.A., A.R.M.), Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, MO; Division of Biology and Medicine (S.C.), Brown Medical School, Providence, RI; and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (E.M.L.), Nashville, TN. lauriebaker@umsl.edu.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between older age and mean cerebral white matter fiber bundle lengths (FBLs) in specific white matter tracts in the brain using quantified diffusion MRI.
Methods:
Sixty-three healthy adults older than 50 years underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Tractography tracings of cerebral white matter fiber bundles were derived from the diffusion tensor imaging data.
Results:
Results revealed significantly shorter FBLs in the anterior thalamic radiation for every 1-year increase over the age of 50 years.
Conclusions:
We investigated the effects of age on FBL in specific white matter tracts in the brains of healthy older individuals utilizing quantified diffusion MRI. The results revealed a significant inverse relationship between age and FBL. Longitudinal studies of FBL across a lifespan are needed to examine the specific changes to the integrity of white matter.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Assessment of Diffusion and Perfusion
The Role of Diffusion in Respiration
Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In the respiratory system, this...
01:24Magnetic Resonance Imaging