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Age effects on cortical thickness in cognitively normal elderly individuals
Sona Hurtz1, Ellen Woo1, Valeria Kebets2
1Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Calif., USA.
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra
|September 2, 2014
Summary
Normal aging causes diffuse cortical thinning, particularly in the frontal and visual association cortices. This study used 3D quantitative mapping to analyze age-related brain changes in healthy older adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Normal aging is associated with grey and white matter atrophy.
- The prefrontal cortex and frontal lobe white matter are particularly vulnerable to age-related changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of normal aging on cortical grey matter.
- To utilize a 3D quantitative cortical mapping method for precise analysis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1.5-tesla brain MRI data from 44 cognitively normal elderly subjects.
- Application of cortical pattern matching and cortical thickness analyses.
- Linear regression and 3D map-wide permutation analyses (p < 0.01) to assess age effects.
Main Results:
- Significant negative association between age and cortical thickness in the right hemisphere (pcorrected = 0.009).
- Trend-level association in the left hemisphere (pcorrected = 0.081).
- Greatest age-related changes observed in sensorimotor, anterior cingulate, supplementary motor, and frontal gyri, with medial visual association cortices also affected.
Conclusions:
- Normal aging leads to diffuse cortical thinning.
- This thinning is most pronounced in the frontal and visual association cortices.
- The study validates findings using a novel 3D quantitative mapping method.
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