Development of Brain Structural Networks Over Age 8: A Preliminary Study Based on Diffusion Weighted Imaging.
Zhanxiong Wu1,2, Yun Peng2, Sudhakar Selvaraj3
1School of Electronic Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|March 27, 2020
Summary
Brain structural networks mature through early adulthood and decline in older adults. This study used advanced probabilistic tractography to map these age-related changes in brain connectivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Brain Imaging
- Network Science
Background:
- Brain structural networks are crucial for understanding aging.
- Previous methods for network analysis were limited, causing artifacts.
- A detailed characterization of age-related structural networks is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize age-related changes in human brain structural network topology.
- To apply a novel Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP) based method for network construction.
- To investigate brain structural connectivity across a wide age range (8-75 years).
Main Methods:
- Utilized a new Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP) based probabilistic tractography.
- Constructed structural brain networks by estimating link strength via EAP alignment.
- Analyzed network topology in 48 healthy participants across four age groups (8-15, 25-35, 45-55, 65-75 years).
Main Results:
- Brain structural networks strengthen through adolescence and adulthood (first 20-30 years).
- Older adults (65-75 years) showed significantly less optimized network organization.
- Decreased global efficiency and increased path lengths were observed in older adults.
Conclusions:
- Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP) based probabilistic tractography reliably constructs macroscale structural networks.
- This method effectively captures age-associated changes in brain structures.
- Brain structural network organization undergoes significant changes throughout the human lifespan, with a decline in older age.
