BioSpace Collaborative - Maturational and Aging Effects on Human Brain Apparent Transverse Relaxation

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PLoS By Category | Recent PLoS Articles

Neurological Disorders - Neuroscience - Radiology and Medical Imaging - Physiology

Maturational and Aging Effects on Human Brain Apparent Transverse Relaxation
Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Author: Jianli Wang et al.

by Jianli Wang, Michele L. Shaffer, Paul J. Eslinger, Xiaoyu Sun, Christopher W. Weitekamp, Megha M. Patel, Deborah Dossick, David J. Gill, James R. Connor, Qing X. Yang

The goal of this study was to address the need for comprehensive reference data regarding maturational and aging effects on regional transverse relaxation rates (R₂) of the brain in normal humans. Regional R₂s were measured in twenty-five brain structures from a sample of seventy-seven normal volunteers 9 to 85 years of age. The relationships between regional R₂ and age were determined using generalized additive models, without the constraint of a specified a priori model. Data analysis demonstrated that the brain tissue R₂-age correlations followed various time courses with both linear and non-linear characteristics depending on the particular brain structure. Most anatomical structures studied exhibited non-linear characteristics, including the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, globus pallidus, putamen, caudate nucleus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, orbitofrontal white matter and temporal white matter. Linear trends were detected in occipital white matter and in the genu of corpus callosum. These results indicate the complexity of age-related R₂ changes in the brain while providing normative reference data that can be utilized in clinical examinations and studies utilizing quantitative transverse relaxation. More...