Locus coeruleus contrast and diffusivity metrics differentially relate to age and memory performance.

ABSTRACT: Neurocognitive aging researchers are increasingly focused on the locus coeruleus, a neuromodulatory brainstem structure that degrades with age. With this rapid growth, the field will benefit from consensus regarding which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics of locus coeruleus structure are most sensitive to age and cognition. To address this need, the current study acquired magnetization transfer- and diffusion-weighted MRI images in younger and older adults who also completed a free recall memory task. Results revealed significantly larger differences between younger and older adults for maximum than average magnetization transfer-weighted contrast (MTC), axial than mean or radial single-tensor diffusivity (DTI), and free than restricted multi-compartment diffusion (NODDI) metrics in

SUBMITTER: Bennett IJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11224383 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature