American Journal of Neuroradiology 23:1327-1333, September 2002
© 2002 American Society of Neuroradiology
BRAIN
Age-Related Total Gray Matter and White Matter Changes in Normal Adult Brain. Part I: Volumetric MR Imaging Analysis
a Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
b Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
c Department of Biostatistics, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Address reprints requests to Robert I. Grossman, MD, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York City, NY 10016
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A technique of segmenting total gray matter (GM) and total white matter (WM) in human brain is now available. We investigated the effects of age and sex on total fractional GM (%GM) and total fractional WM (%WM) volumes by using volumetric MR imaging in healthy adults.
METHODS: Fifty-four healthy volunteers (22 men, 32 women) aged 20–86 years underwent dual-echo fast spin-echo MR imaging. Total GM, total WM, and intracranial space volumes were segmented by using MR image-based computerized semiautomated software. Volumes were normalized as a percentage of intracranial volume (%GM and %WM) to adjust for variations in head size. Age and sex effects were then assessed.
RESULTS: Both %GM and %WM in the intracranial space were significantly less in older subjects (
50 years) than in younger subjects (<50 years) (P < .0001 and P = .02, respectively). Consistently, %GM decreased linearly with age, beginning in the youngest subjects. %WM decreased in a quadratic fashion, with a greater rate beginning only in adult midlife. Although larger GM volumes were observed in men before adjustments for cranium size, no significant differences in %GM or %WM were observed between the sexes.
CONCLUSION: GM volume loss appears to be a constant, linear function of age throughout adult life, whereas WM volume loss seems to be delayed until middle adult life. Both appear to be independent of sex. Quantitative analysis of %GM and %WM volumes can improve our understanding of brain atrophy due to normal aging; this knowledge may be valuable in distinguishing atrophy of disease patterns from characteristics of the normal aging process.
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