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Age differences in intercorrelations between regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose.
Annals of Neurology
|January 1, 1986
Summary
Healthy elderly men exhibit reduced functional brain connectivity compared to younger adults. This decline in cerebral metabolic intercorrelations, particularly between parietal and frontal regions, suggests altered brain communication with aging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cerebral metabolic intercorrelations reflect functional brain connectivity.
- Aging is associated with changes in brain structure and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare patterns of cerebral metabolic intercorrelations in healthy young and elderly men.
- To investigate age-related differences in resting-state brain functional interactions.
Main Methods:
- Positron emission tomography (PET) using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose to measure regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose in 59 brain regions.
- Partial correlation analysis to assess intercorrelations between regional glucose metabolism, controlling for whole-brain metabolism.
Main Results:
- Elderly men showed significantly fewer statistically significant correlations in regional cerebral metabolism compared to young men.
- The most pronounced reductions in correlations were observed between parietal lobe regions, and between parietal and frontal lobe regions.
Conclusions:
- Healthy aging is associated with reduced functional interactions between brain regions.
- Parietal and frontal lobe connectivity may be particularly vulnerable to age-related decline.