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Published on: July 17, 2020
Age-related differences in cerebral morphology and microstructure in rhesus macaques
Alison R Weiss1, Anahit Grigorian2, Steven Dash2
1Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland OR 97239, USA.
Rhesus macaques show brain aging changes similar to humans, with measurable atrophy in cortical and striatal regions. High-resolution MRI reveals microstructural differences in white matter, highlighting their value as a translational aging model.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Comparative Anatomy
Background:
- The rhesus macaque is a valuable model for human brain aging research due to its long lifespan and phylogenetic proximity.
- Understanding age-related changes in non-human primates aids in translating findings to human neurodegenerative diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify microstructural and morphological biomarkers of aging in the rhesus macaque brain.
- To investigate age-associated brain atrophy and white matter integrity changes using advanced neuroimaging techniques.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 37 healthy rhesus macaques (5-28 years old).
- High-resolution T2-weighted (T2w) and diffusion-weighted (DW) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) applied to analyze brain structure and diffusion parameters.
Main Results:
- Significant age-associated regional brain atrophy detected in frontal and parietal cortex, and striatum.
- Age-related alterations in white matter diffusion observed in frontal, temporal, internal capsule, and corpus callosum regions.
- Morphological and microstructural age differences identified in cortical, striatal, thalamic regions, and connecting white matter pathways.
Conclusions:
- Rhesus macaques exhibit distinct patterns of brain aging, including regional atrophy and white matter microstructural changes.
- High-resolution DTI and MRI can effectively reveal age-related neurobiological differences in this primate model.
- These findings support the rhesus macaque as a robust translational model for studying human brain aging and associated pathologies.
