Measurement of hippocampal subfields and age-related changes with high resolution MRI at 4T

• Published in: Neurobiology of aging Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 719 - 726
• Main Authors: Mueller, S.G., Stables, L., Du, A.T., Schuff, N., Truran, D., Cashdollar, N., Weiner, M.W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2007
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - metabolism; Aging - pathology; Aging - psychology; Female; Hippocampus - metabolism; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Memory - physiology; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests
• ISSN: 0197-4580; 1558-1497; 1558-1497
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.03.007

Histological studies suggest that hippocampal subfields are differently affected by aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims of this study were: (1) To test if hippocampal subfields can be identified and marked using anatomical landmarks on high resolution MR images obtained on a 4T magnet. (2) To test if age-specific volume changes of subfields can be detected. Forty-two healthy controls (21-85 years) and three AD subjects (76-86 years) were studied with a high resolution T2 weighted fast spin echo sequence. The entorhinal cortex (ERC), subiculum, CA1, CA2 and CA3/4 and dentate were marked. A significant correlation between age and CA1 (r=-0.51, p=0.0002) which was most pronounced in the seventh decade of life was found in healthy controls. In AD subjects, CA1 and subiculum were smaller than in age-matched controls. These preliminary findings suggest that measurement of hippocampal subfields may be helpful to distinguish between normal aging and AD.