title: High-field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals metabolic effects of normal brain aging.
abstract: Altered brain metabolism is likely to be an important contributor to normal cognitive decline and brain pathology in elderly individuals. To characterize the metabolic changes associated with normal brain aging, we used high-field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in vivo to quantify 20 neurochemicals in the hippocampus and sensorimotor cortex of young adult and aged rats. We found significant differences in the neurochemical profile of the aged brain when compared with younger adults, including lower aspartate, ascorbate, glutamate, and macromolecules, and higher glucose, myo-inositol, N-acetylaspartylglutamate, total choline, and glutamine. These neurochemical biomarkers point to specific cellular mechanisms that are altered in brain aging, such as bioenergetics, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell membrane turnover, and endogenous neuroprotection. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy may be a valuable translational approach for studying mechanisms of brain aging and pathology, and for investigating treatments to preserve or enhance cognitive function in aging.
authors.affiliation: Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. Electronic address: jharris2@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Janna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Hung-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Russell H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Swerdlow
authors.affiliation: Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: In-Young
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009448:Neurochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D011522:Protons; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005947:Glucose; D002794:Choline
keywords: Aging; Bioenergetics; Biomarker; Inflammation; In vivo; Magnetic resonance imaging; Membrane turnover; Neurochemical profile; Oxidative stress; Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy