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Anu Venkatesh1, Shauna M Stark2, Craig E L Stark2
1Department of Neuroscience, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
Neurobiology of Aging
|September 9, 2020
Summary
Advanced diffusion imaging models better detect age-related changes in hippocampal gray matter integrity. These findings highlight how multi-compartment models reveal more about brain aging and memory than traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Brain Aging Research
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Single-tensor diffusion imaging (DTI) traditionally assesses white matter integrity.
- Multi-compartment diffusion models offer potential for detailed gray matter microstructural analysis.
- Previous work linked white matter integrity decline to episodic memory in aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare single-tensor DTI and multi-compartment neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) in assessing age-related hippocampal gray matter integrity.
- To investigate the relationship between hippocampal gray matter integrity and mnemonic discrimination performance across age groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized both single-tensor DTI and multi-compartment NODDI to examine hippocampal gray matter integrity.
- Recruited younger (20-38 years) and older (59-84 years) adult participants.
- Administered the Mnemonic Similarity Task to assess mnemonic discrimination abilities.
Main Results:
- Identified age-related declines in hippocampal gray matter integrity using both DTI (lower FA, higher MD) and NODDI (higher restricted, hindered, and free diffusion).
- NODDI measures explained more age-related variance in hippocampal integrity compared to DTI.
- Mnemonic discrimination was associated with hippocampal integrity in younger adults, but this relationship diminished in older adults.
Conclusions:
- Multi-compartment diffusion models, specifically NODDI, provide a more sensitive measure of age-related gray matter integrity changes than single-tensor DTI.
- Age-related alterations in hippocampal gray matter integrity impact mnemonic discrimination, with this effect being age-dependent.
- Findings underscore the utility of advanced diffusion imaging techniques for understanding brain aging and cognitive function.
