title: Structural organization of the prefrontal white matter pathways in the adult and aging brain measured by diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: Previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies confirmed the vulnerability of frontal callosal fibers to normal aging. The present study extended this examination systematically to other prefrontal white matter regions. Structural magnetic resonance imaging and DTI datasets were acquired from 69 healthy subjects aged 22-84 years. The prefrontal white matter was parcellated into several anatomical sub-regions: medial and lateral orbitofrontal white matter, dorsolateral prefrontal white matter, and medial prefrontal white matter, using reliable DTI-tractography protocols. Tract-specific characteristics were calculated using Matlab. Regression models were used to determine the relationship between age and structural integrity of white matter tracts. The results of our study demonstrate regional age-related changes in the prefrontal white matter tracts of the human brain. This study was cross-sectional and therefore additional longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2V2, Canada. nikolai@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malykhin
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vahidy
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michielse
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Coupland
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Camicioli
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seres
authors.forename: Rawle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis