title: Assessment of posterior fossa structures with midsagittal MRI: the effects of age.
abstract: Midsagittal magnetic resonance (MR) images of 36 normal volunteers, ranging in age from 26 to 79 years, were used to evaluate the effects of age on the size of posterior fossa structures (cerebellar vermis, midbrain, pons, medulla and fourth ventricle). Our results demonstrate a highly statistically significant age-related decline in the cross-sectional area of the midbrain (r = -.44, p less than 0.007), a less prominent decline in the area of the anterior cerebellar vermis (r = -.33, p less than 0.05) and striking intercorrelations between the dimensions of the pons, medulla and cerebellar vermis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first MRI demonstration of midbrain atrophy during aging in normal adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Doraiswamy
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Husain
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Figiel
authors.forename: O B
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Boyko
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ellinwood
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Krishnan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors