Age-related microstructural differences quantified using myelin water imaging and advanced diffusion MRI. 2015

Thibo Billiet, and Mathieu Vandenbulcke, and Burkhard Mädler, and Ronald Peeters, and Thijs Dhollander, and Hui Zhang, and Sabine Deprez, and Bea R H Van den Bergh, and Stefan Sunaert, and Louise Emsell
Translational MRI, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Medical Imaging Research Center (MIRC), Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience & Disease (LIND), Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Thibo.billiet@uzleuven.be.

Age-related microstructural differences have been detected using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Although DTI is sensitive to the effects of aging, it is not specific to any underlying biological mechanism, including demyelination. Combining multiexponential T2 relaxation (MET2) and multishell diffusion MRI (dMRI) techniques may elucidate such processes. Multishell dMRI and MET2 data were acquired from 59 healthy participants aged 17-70 years. Whole-brain and regional age-associated correlations of measures related to multiple dMRI models (DTI, diffusion kurtosis imaging [DKI], neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging [NODDI]) and myelin-sensitive MET2 metrics were assessed. DTI and NODDI revealed widespread increases in isotropic diffusivity with increasing age. In frontal white matter, fractional anisotropy linearly decreased with age, paralleled by increased "neurite" dispersion and no difference in myelin water fraction. DKI measures and neurite density correlated well with myelin water fraction and intracellular and extracellular water fraction. DTI estimates remain among the most sensitive markers for age-related alterations in white matter. NODDI, DKI, and MET2 indicate that the initial decrease in frontal fractional anisotropy may be due to increased axonal dispersion rather than demyelination.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D001921 Brain The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM. Encephalon
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000375 Aging The gradual irreversible changes in structure and function of an organism that occur as a result of the passage of time. Senescence,Aging, Biological,Biological Aging
D001369 Axons Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body. Axon

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