• Radmila Peric, Igor Romčević, Milica Mastilović, Ivana Starčević, and Jasmina Boban.
• Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia. radmila.peric@mf.uns.ac.rs.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2024 Nov 12.

BackgroundWith the global population aging, the number of individuals over 60 is expected to double by 2050. Brain volume increases until age 13, stabilizes between 18 and 35, then declines by 0.2% annually. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies highlight significant gray matter atrophy, necessitating differentiation between normal aging and neurodegeneration.AimsThis study assessed the impact of aging on subcortical gray matter in healthy males to identify biomarkers of physiological aging.MethodsA retrospective study of 106 healthy males who underwent brain MRI from 2012 to 2016, divided into two age groups: younger and older than 35 years. MRI scans were performed using a 3 T machine, and volumetric analysis was conducted with VolBrain software. Subcortical gray matter volumes were compared between groups. The Shapiro-Wilk test evaluated normality. Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis, with significance defined as p < 0.05.ResultsTotal intracranial volume was comparable between age groups (p = 0.527). Significant volume reductions (p < 0.05) were observed in subcortical gray matter structures, including the nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, and ventral diencephalon, particularly on the right side in the elderly group.ConclusionsSubcortical gray matter volume in healthy males shows significant differences between older and younger individuals (p < 0.05), with asymmetrical reduction and certain structures on the right aging more rapidly. These findings are significant for distinguishing healthy aging from neurodegeneration.© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

5 keywords...

hide…