High-resolution magnetic resonance elastography reveals differences in subcortical gray matter viscoelasticity between young and healthy older adults

AbstractDetermining the effect of ageing on thigh muscle stiffness using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and investigate whether fat fraction and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) are related to stiffness. Six healthy older adults in their eighth and ninth decade and eight healthy young men were recruited and underwent a 3 T MRI protocol including MRE and Dixon fat fraction imaging. Muscle stiffness, fat fraction and muscle CSA were calculated in ROIs corresponding to the four quadriceps muscles (i.e. vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), vastus intermedius (VI), rectus femoris (RF)), combined quadriceps, combined hamstrings and adductors and whole thigh. Muscle stiffness was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in the older group in all measured ROIs except the VI (p = 0.573) and RF (p = 0.081). Similarly, mean fat fraction was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the older group over all ROIs with the exception of the VI (p = 0.059) and VL muscle groups (p = 0.142). Muscle CSA was significantly reduced in older participants in the VM (p = 0.003) and the combined quadriceps (p = 0.001), hamstrings and adductors (p = 0.008) and whole thigh (p = 0.003). Over the whole thigh, stiffness was significantly negatively correlated with fat fraction (r = − 0.560, p = 0.037) and positively correlated with CSA (r = 0.749, p = 0.002). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that age was the most significant predictor of muscle stiffness (p = 0.001). These results suggest that muscle stiffness is significantly decreased in healthy older adults. Muscle fat fraction and muscle CSA are also significantly changed in older adults; however, age is the most significant predictor of muscle stiffness.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Gray matter structural networks are associated with cardiovascular risk factors in healthy older adults.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.730369341.793547019 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lutz Jäncke

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Structural Networks

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High-resolution mechanical imaging of the human brain by three-dimensional multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography at 7T

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.032 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 90 ◽

pp. 308-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Jürgen Braun ◽

Jing Guo ◽

Ralf Lützkendorf ◽

Jörg Stadler ◽

Sebastian Papazoglou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance ◽

High Resolution ◽

Human Brain ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Magnetic Resonance Elastography ◽

Mechanical Imaging

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Main and interactive effects of depression and amnestic mild cognitive impairment on gray matter volumes in healthy older adults: A VBM study

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.1408 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. P521-P522

Author(s):

Chunming Xie ◽

Joseph Goveas ◽

Wenjun Li ◽

Tianye Zhai ◽

Gang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Gray Matter Volumes

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Investigating Associations Between Inflammatory Biomarkers, Gray Matter, Neurofilament Light and Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.719553 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Hollis C. Karoly ◽

Carillon J. Skrzynski ◽

Erin Moe ◽

Angela D. Bryan ◽

Kent E. Hutchison

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Regression Models ◽

Normal Aging ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Analytic Models ◽

The Brain

Background: Exploring biological variables that may serve as indicators of the development and progression of cognitive decline is currently a high-priority research area. Recent studies have demonstrated that during normal aging, individuals experience increased inflammation throughout the brain and body, which may be linked to cognitive impairment and reduced gray matter volume in the brain. Neurofilament light polypeptide (NfL), which is released into the circulation following neuronal damage, has been proposed as a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases, and may also have utility in the context of normal aging. The present study tested associations between age, peripheral levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, peripheral NfL, brain volume, and cognitive performance in a sample of healthy adults over 60 years old.Methods: Of the 273 individuals who participated in this study, 173 had useable neuroimaging data, a subset of whom had useable blood data (used for quantifying IL-6 and NfL) and completed a cognitive task. Gray matter (GM) thickness values were extracted from brain areas of interest using Freesurfer. Regression models were used to test relationships between IL-6, NfL, GM, and cognitive performance. To test putative functional relationships between these variables, exploratory path analytic models were estimated, in which the relationship between age, IL-6, and working memory performance were linked via four different operationalizations of brain health: (1) a latent GM variable composed of several regions linked to cognitive impairment, (2) NfL alone, (3) NfL combined with the GM latent variable, and (4) the hippocampus alone.Results: Regression models showed that IL-6 and NfL were significantly negatively associated with GM volume and that GM was positively associated with cognitive performance. The path analytic models indicated that age and cognitive performance are linked by GM in the hippocampus as well as several other regions previously associated with cognitive impairment, but not by NfL alone. Peripheral IL-6 was not associated with age in any of the path models.Conclusions: Results suggest that among healthy older adults, there are several GM regions that link age and cognitive performance. Notably, NfL alone is not a sufficient marker of brain changes associated with aging, inflammation, and cognitive performance.

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