{"title":"Lifespan trajectories of fornix volume and tractography: a 5.0 T MRI study.","authors":"Qiang Hu, Jia Xu, Sirui Li, Xiaohui Chen, Xiaoli Zhong, Xitong Liu, Jinxia Ren, Huan Wang, Chenhong Fan, Chunyu Li, Liang Wang, Jinfeng Lv, Xueying Xiong, Yaowen Xing, Yaqiong Xiao, Xiaopeng Song, Lei Gao, Haibo Xu","doi":"10.1093/cercor/bhaf057","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fornix, playing a critical role in memory formation and maintenance, is recognized as an ultra-early biomarker for dementia. However, its trajectory during healthy aging remains incompletely understood. This study employed an ultra-high-field 5.0 T MRI to acquire high-resolution anatomical and multishell diffusion imaging data from 376 healthy adults aged 18 to 85. The aim was to correlate fornix characteristics with cognitive performance across multiple domains and map its lifespan trajectories. Using these data, we quantified fornix volume and tractography. Lifespan trajectories were identified by computing age-specific average patterns, which revealed distinct changes. Notably, nonlinear declines in fornix volume were observed, contrasting with fiber tract peaks between ages 18 to 40, which subsequently influenced volume-connectivity interactions. Additionally, a shift from predominant left-side to right-side fornix dominance was noted with aging. Regression analyses indicated that variations in fornix structure significantly moderated, rather than mediated, age-related differences in cognitive performance. These high-resolution imaging results provide novel insights into the role of the fornix's morphology and structural connectivity in individual cognitive differences and aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":9715,"journal":{"name":"Cerebral cortex","volume":"35 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cerebral cortex","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaf057","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The fornix, playing a critical role in memory formation and maintenance, is recognized as an ultra-early biomarker for dementia. However, its trajectory during healthy aging remains incompletely understood. This study employed an ultra-high-field 5.0 T MRI to acquire high-resolution anatomical and multishell diffusion imaging data from 376 healthy adults aged 18 to 85. The aim was to correlate fornix characteristics with cognitive performance across multiple domains and map its lifespan trajectories. Using these data, we quantified fornix volume and tractography. Lifespan trajectories were identified by computing age-specific average patterns, which revealed distinct changes. Notably, nonlinear declines in fornix volume were observed, contrasting with fiber tract peaks between ages 18 to 40, which subsequently influenced volume-connectivity interactions. Additionally, a shift from predominant left-side to right-side fornix dominance was noted with aging. Regression analyses indicated that variations in fornix structure significantly moderated, rather than mediated, age-related differences in cognitive performance. These high-resolution imaging results provide novel insights into the role of the fornix's morphology and structural connectivity in individual cognitive differences and aging.
穹窿在记忆形成和维持中起着至关重要的作用,被认为是痴呆症的超早期生物标志物。然而,它在健康衰老过程中的轨迹仍不完全清楚。本研究采用超高场5.0 T MRI获取376名18 - 85岁健康成人的高分辨率解剖和多壳扩散成像数据。其目的是将穹窿特征与多个领域的认知表现联系起来,并绘制其生命轨迹。利用这些数据,我们量化穹窿体积和束状图。寿命轨迹是通过计算特定年龄的平均模式来确定的,这揭示了明显的变化。值得注意的是,穹窿体积的非线性下降与纤维束在18至40岁之间的峰值形成对比,后者随后影响了体积-连接相互作用。此外,随着年龄的增长,从左侧穹窿优势向右侧穹窿优势转变。回归分析表明穹窿结构的变化显著地调节了认知能力的年龄相关差异,而不是介导。这些高分辨率成像结果为穹窿的形态和结构连接在个体认知差异和衰老中的作用提供了新的见解。
期刊介绍:
Cerebral Cortex publishes papers on the development, organization, plasticity, and function of the cerebral cortex, including the hippocampus. Studies with clear relevance to the cerebral cortex, such as the thalamocortical relationship or cortico-subcortical interactions, are also included.
The journal is multidisciplinary and covers the large variety of modern neurobiological and neuropsychological techniques, including anatomy, biochemistry, molecular neurobiology, electrophysiology, behavior, artificial intelligence, and theoretical modeling. In addition to research articles, special features such as brief reviews, book reviews, and commentaries are included.