Age differences in hippocampal subfield volumes from childhood to late adulthood.
The hippocampus is composed of distinct subfields: the four cornu ammonis areas (CA1-CA4), dentate gyrus (DG), and subiculum. The few in vivo studies of human hippocampal subfields suggest that the extent of age differences in volume varies across subfields during healthy childhood development and aging. However, the associations between age and subfield volumes across the entire lifespan are unknown. Here, we used a high-resolution imaging technique and manually measured hippocampal subfield and entorhinal cortex volumes in a healthy lifespan sample (N = 202), ages 8-82 yrs. The magnitude of age differences in volume varied among the regions. Combined CA1-2 volume evidenced a negative linear association with age. In contrast, the associations between age and volumes of CA3-DG and the entorhinal cortex were negative in mid-childhood and attenuated in later adulthood. Volume of the subiculum was unrelated to age. The different magnitudes and patterns of age differences in subfield volumes may reflect dynamic microstructural factors and have implications for cognitive functions across the lifespan. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Ana M
AM
Daugherty
Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Andrew R
AR
Bender
Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.|Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Naftali
N
Raz
Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.|Psychology Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.|Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Noa
N
Ofen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D056651:CA2 Region, Hippocampal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D056654:CA3 Region, Hippocampal / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult
CA1; aging; dentate gyrus; development; entorhinal cortex