Changes of gray matter volumes of subcortical regions across the lifespan : a Human Connectome Project study

We assessed changes in gray matter volume (GMV) of nine subcortical regions (accumbens, amygdala, brainstem, caudate, cerebellar cortex, pallidum, putamen, thalamus, and ventral diencephalon) across the lifespan in a large sample of participants in the Human Connectome Project (n = 2,458, 5-90 yr old, 1,113 males and 1,345 females). 3T MRI data were acquired using a harmonized protocol and were processed in an identical way for all brains. GMVs of individual regions were adjusted for estimated total intracranial volume and regressed against age. We found highly statistically significant changes in GMV with age (P < 0.001) that were distinct among areas and mostly consistent between sexes, as follows. 1) The GMVs of accumbens, caudate, putamen, and cerebellum decreased with age in a linear fashion. The rate of decrease was steeper in males than in females for all regions. 2) The GMVs of the amygdala, pallidum, thalamus, ventral diencephalon, and brainstem changed with age in a quadratic fashion, i.e., increasing first and decreasing afterward. The estimated age at the peak (vertex) of the parabola was 51.8 yr for the brainstem and 28.0-37.9 yr for the other regions. The peak occurred earlier in males than in females, by an average of 8 yr, with the exception of the brainstem, where the age at the peak was very similar in both sexes. These results confirm previous findings and offer new insights into region-specific age-related changes in subcortical brain GMVs.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We report mixed effects of age on subcortical grey matter volume (GMV) during lifespan (n = 2458, 5-90 yr old, 1113 male, 1345 female). Striatal and cerebellar GMVs decreased linearly with age, more steeply in males. In contrast, GMVs of the amygdala, pallidum, thalamus, ventral diencephalon, and brainstem changed in a quadratic fashion, increasing first and decreasing afterward, with males peaking earlier than females in all regions but the brainstem where they peaked at nearly the same time.

Medienart:	E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:	2023
Erschienen:	2023

Enthalten in:	Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:130
Enthalten in:	Journal of neurophysiology - 130(2023), 5 vom: 01. Nov., Seite 1303-1308

Sprache:	Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:	Christova, Peka [VerfasserIn] Georgopoulos, Apostolos P [VerfasserIn]

Links:	Volltext

Themen:	Aging Human Connectome Project Journal Article Lifespan Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Subcortex

Anmerkungen:	Date Completed 10.11.2023 Date Revised 19.01.2024 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:	10.1152/jn.00283.2023

funding:
Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):	NLM363433244