Cortical aging – new insights with multiparametric quantitative MRI
Alexander Seiler, Sophie Schöngrundner, Benjamin Stock, Ulrike Nöth, Elke Hattingen, Helmuth Steinmetz, Johannes Klein, Simon Baudrexel, Marlies Wagner, Ralf Deichmann, René‐Maxime Gracien
Abstract
decade) underwent high-resolution qMRI including T1, PD as well as T2, T2* and T2' mapping at 3 Tesla. Cortical reconstruction was performed with the FreeSurfer toolbox, followed by tests for correlations between qMRI parameters and age. Cortical T1 values were negatively correlated with age (p=0.007) and there was a widespread age-related decrease of cortical T1 involving the frontal and the parietotemporal cortex, while T2 was correlated positively with age, both in frontoparietal areas and globally (p=0.004). Cortical T2' values showed the most widespread associations across the cortex and strongest correlation with age (r= -0.724, p=0.0001). PD and T2* did not correlate with age. Multiparametric qMRI allows to characterize cortical aging, unveiling parameter-specific patterns. Quantitative T2' mapping seems to be a promising imaging biomarker of cortical age-related changes, suggesting that global cortical iron deposition is a prominent process in healthy aging.