The impact of aging on morphometric changes in the cerebellum: A voxel-based morphometry study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Aging significantly impacts central nervous system morphology, yet age-related cerebellar changes are understudied.
• Existing research on cerebellar aging is inconsistent due to varying methodologies, age ranges, and analytical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-dependent cerebellar changes in healthy individuals before age 70.
• To utilize non-linear methods and the spatially unbiased infratentorial template (SUIT) toolbox for precise cerebellar analysis.
• To correlate observed morphological changes with functional brain networks.

Main Methods:

• Employed non-linear methods and the SUIT toolbox for detailed cerebellar analysis.
• Scanned 24 older (mean age 64.42) and 25 younger (mean age 24.6) healthy participants using 3 T-MRI.
• Processed MRI data using the SUIT toolbox to assess age-related differences.

Main Results:

• Identified gray matter (GM) volume loss in older participants within three right cerebellar clusters: crus I/II and lobule VI.
• Crus I/II and lobule VI are functionally associated with frontoparietal, default-mode, and ventral-attention networks.
• Lobule VI extends into vermis VIIa, further implicating non-motor and cognitive functional networks.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated an age-related decline in GM volume in specific right cerebellar regions before age 70.
• These affected cerebellar regions are primarily linked to non-motor functions and cognitive tasks.
• Findings highlight the impact of aging on cognitive-associated cerebellar networks.