Age-specific characteristics and coupling of cerebral arterial inflow and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics.
The objective of this work is to quantify age-related differences in the characteristics and coupling of cerebral arterial inflow and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. To this end, 3T phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging blood and CSF flow data of eleven young (24 ± 3 years) and eleven elderly subjects (70 ± 5 years) with a comparable sex-ratio were acquired. Flow waveforms and their frequency composition, transfer functions from blood to CSF flows and cross-correlations were analyzed. The magnitudes of the frequency components of CSF flow in the aqueduct differ significantly between the two age groups, as do the frequency components of the cervical spinal CSF and the arterial flows. The males' aqueductal CSF stroke volumes and average flow rates are significantly higher than those of the females. Transfer functions and cross-correlations between arterial blood and CSF flow reveal significant age-dependence of phase-shift between these, as do the waveforms of arterial blood, as well as cervical-spinal and aqueductal CSF flows. These findings accentuate the need for age- and sex-matched control groups for the evaluation of cerebral pathologies such as hydrocephalus.
Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Marianne
M
Schmid Daners
Verena
V
Knobloch
Michaela
M
Soellinger
Peter
P
Boesiger
Burkhardt
B
Seifert
Lino
L
Guzzella
Vartan
V
Kurtcuoglu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000098:blood supply; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult