Age-related neuroanatomical differences from the juvenile period to adulthood in mother-reared macaques (Macaca radiata).
Basic data on age-related neuroanatomical changes across the juvenile to adult period in nonhuman primates is sparse, and this gap in knowledge is a serious impediment to translational research aimed at understanding brain development across the lifespan. In this study, magnetic resonance images were analyzed for fifteen mother-reared, socially-housed bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) in three age groups: juvenile, adolescent, and adult. These data are the first to show age-related changes in gray:white matter ratio and corpus callosum size in bonnet macaques. Juvenile monkeys had higher overall gray:white matter ratio as compared to adolescent and adult monkeys. Corpus callosum (CC) size varied significantly as a function of age and CC region. Total brain volume was significantly lower for juvenile monkeys as compared to both adolescents and adults. These results are consistent in pattern with age-related changes in gray:white matter ratio and regional CC differences observed in humans. Continued study of the animals in this cross-sectional study will provide an important means of determining whether differences observed between age groups reflect developmental differences due to variation in the rate of maturation of CC regions.
Pierre
Peter J
PJ
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
Hopkins
William D
WD
Taglialatela
Jarred P
JP
Lees
Cynthia J
CJ
Bennett
Allyson J
AJ
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D008255:Macaca radiata / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009445:Neuroanatomy / Q000379:methods; D012737:Sex Factors