title: Gray Matter Atrophy in the Cerebellum-Evidence of Increased Vulnerability of the Crus and Vermis with Advancing Age.
abstract: This study examined patterns of cerebellar volumetric gray matter (GM) loss across the adult lifespan in a large cross-sectional sample. Four hundred and seventy-nine healthy participants (age range: 7-86 years) were drawn from the Brain Resource International Database who provided T1-weighted MRI scans. The spatially unbiased infratentorial template (SUIT) toolbox in SPM8 was used for normalisation of the cerebellum structures. Global volumetric and voxel-based morphometry analyses were performed to evaluate age-associated trends and gender-specific age-patterns. Global cerebellar GM shows a cross-sectional reduction with advancing age of 2.5 % per decade-approximately half the rate seen in the whole brain. The male cerebellum is larger with a lower percentage of GM, however, after controlling for total brain volume, no gender difference was detected. Analysis of age-related changes in GM volume revealed large bilateral clusters involving the vermis and cerebellar crus where regional loss occurred at nearly twice the average cerebellar rate. No gender-specific patterns were detected. These data confirm that regionally specific GM loss occurs in the cerebellum with age, and form a solid base for further investigation to find functional correlates for this global and focal loss.
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millennium Institute and Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millennium Institute and Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Sydney Translational Imaging Laboratory, Heart Research Institute, Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Mayuresh S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Korgaonkar
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millennium Institute and Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia. stuart.grieve@sydney.edu.au.|Sydney Translational Imaging Laboratory, Heart Research Institute, Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. stuart.grieve@sydney.edu.au.|Department of Radiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. stuart.grieve@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Stuart M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Grieve
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: BRAINnet; Cerebellum; Gray matter volume; Magnetic resonance imaging; Neurodevelopment