Brain-wide associations between white matter and age highlight the role of fornix microstructure in brain ageing.

ABSTRACT: Unveiling the details of white matter (WM) maturation throughout ageing is a fundamental question for understanding the ageing brain. In an extensive comparison of brain age predictions and age-associations of WM features from different diffusion approaches, we analyzed UK Biobank diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data across midlife and older age (N = 35,749, 44.6-82.8 years of age). Conventional and advanced dMRI approaches were consistent in predicting brain age. WM-age associations indicate a steady microstructure degeneration with increasing age from midlife to older ages. Brain age was estimated best when combining diffusion approaches, showing different aspects of WM contributing to brain age. Fornix was found as the central region for brain age predictions across diffusio

SUBMITTER: Korbmacher M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10258541 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature