Advanced

AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Spilt, A. Articles by van Buchem, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Spilt, A. Articles by van Buchem, M. A.

American Journal of Neuroradiology 26:725-729, April 2005
© 2005 American Society of Neuroradiology

BRAIN

Age-Related Changes in Normal-Appearing Brain Tissue and White Matter Hyperintensities: More of the Same or Something Else?

Aart Spilt^a, Tychon Geeraedts^a, Anton J. M. de Craen^b, Rudi G. J. Westendorp^b, Gerard J. Blauw^b and Mark A. van Buchem^a

^a Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
^b Department of General Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands

Address reprint requests to Aart Spilt, MD, Department of Radiology C2-S, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral white matter (WM) hyperintensities are a frequent finding in elderly people, and lowering of cerebral magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) has been observed. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between age-related WM hyperintensities and MTR changes in the brain.

METHODS: We performed MR imaging in a group of young subjects, a group of elderly individuals with minimal WM hyperintensities, and a group of elderly individuals with abundant WM hyperintensities. In addition, we performed volumetric MTR analysis of the whole brain and of the normal-appearing WM (NAWM) in these groups.

RESULTS: Volumetric MTR parameters differed between elderly and young patients. Mean MTR ± standard error of the mean (SEM) was 34.0% ± 0.12% in the young, 33.0% ± 0.08% in the elderly with minimal WM hyperintensities, 32.8% ± 0.09%) in the group with abundant WM hyperintensities. Peak height (number of voxels ± SEM) was 122 ± 1.2 in the young, 99 ± 1.5 in the elderly with minimal WM hyperintensities, and 98 ± 1.6 in the group with abundant WM hyperintensities. Mean MTR of NAWM was lower in the elderly compared with the young (36.7% ± 0.12%) but did not differ between subjects with minimal (36.0% ± 0.11%) and those with abundant WM hyperintensities (35.9% ± 0.13%).

CONCLUSION: Our results show that aging gives rise to changes in normal-appearing brain tissue. These changes, which can be detected on magnetization transfer imaging, seem to have no relationship with age-related WM hyperintensities and might have a different etiology.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Fazekas, S. Ropele, C. Enzinger, F. Gorani, A. Seewann, K. Petrovic, and R. Schmidt MTI of white matter hyperintensities Brain, December 1, 2005; 128(12): 2926 - 2932. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]