Age- and sex-related effects on the neuroanatomy of healthy elderly
NeuroImage. 2005-07-01; 26(3): 900-911
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.042
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1. Neuroimage. 2005 Jul 1;26(3):900-11. Epub 2005 Apr 13.
Age- and sex-related effects on the neuroanatomy of healthy elderly.
Lemaître H(1), Crivello F, Grassiot B, Alpérovitch A, Tzourio C, Mazoyer B.
Author information:
(1)Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, UMR 6194, CNRS, CEA, Universités de Caen
et Paris 5, GIP Cyceron, BP5229, F-14074 Caen, France.
Effects of age and sex, and their interaction on the structural brain anatomy of
healthy elderly were assessed thanks to a cross-sectional study of a cohort of
662 subjects aged from 63 to 75 years. T1- and T2-weighted MRI scans were
acquired in each subject and further processed using a voxel-based approach that
was optimized for the identification of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
compartment. Analysis of covariance revealed a classical neuroanatomy sexual
dimorphism, men exhibiting larger gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and CSF
compartment volumes, together with larger WM and CSF fractions, whereas women
showed larger GM fraction. GM and WM were found to significantly decrease with
age, while CSF volume significantly increased. Tissue probability map analysis
showed that the highest rates of GM atrophy in this age range were localized in
primary cortices, the angular and superior parietal gyri, the orbital part of the
prefrontal cortex, and in the hippocampal region. There was no significant
interaction between “Sex” and “Age” for any of the tissue volumes, as well as for
any of the tissue probability maps. These findings indicate that brain atrophy
during the seventh and eighth decades of life is ubiquitous and proceeds at a
rate that is not modulated by “Sex”.
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.042
PMID: 15955500 [Indexed for MEDLINE]