High-field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals metabolic effects of normal brain aging.
Altered brain metabolism is likely to be an important contributor to normal cognitive decline and brain pathology in elderly individuals. To characterize the metabolic changes associated with normal brain aging, we used high-field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in vivo to quantify 20 neurochemicals in the hippocampus and sensorimotor cortex of young adult and aged rats. We found significant differences in the neurochemical profile of the aged brain when compared with younger adults, including lower aspartate, ascorbate, glutamate, and macromolecules, and higher glucose, myo-inositol, N-acetylaspartylglutamate, total choline, and glutamine. These neurochemical biomarkers point to specific cellular mechanisms that are altered in brain aging, such as bioenergetics, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell membrane turnover, and endogenous neuroprotection. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy may be a valuable translational approach for studying mechanisms of brain aging and pathology, and for investigating treatments to preserve or enhance cognitive function in aging.
['Harris|Janna L|JL|', 'Yeh|Hung-Wen|HW|', 'Swerdlow|Russell H|RH|', 'Choi|In-Young|IY|', 'Lee|Phil|P|', 'Brooks|William M|WM|']
D000375:Aging D000818:Animals D001224:Aspartic Acid D001921:Brain D002794:Choline D059907:Functional Neuroimaging D005947:Glucose D018698:Glutamic Acid D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy D008297:Male D009448:Neurochemistry D011522:Protons D051381:Rats D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy Aging Neurochemical profile Biomarker Bioenergetics Oxidative stress Inflammation Membrane turnover In vivo Magnetic resonance imaging