Characterizing the age-related changes of hippocampal arterial transit time and perfusion across adult lifespan

Motivation: Age-related changes of arterial transit time (ATT) and perfusion (CBF) measurement in hippocampus subfields is still under-investigated. Goal(s): To quantitatively characterize the age-related hippocampal perfusion changes in a subfield-specific manner to better understand its involvement in neurodegenerative changes and dementia. Approach: T1-weighted images and mbPCASL data from the Human Connectome Project-Aging (HCA) was analyzed to obtain subfield-specific measurements of ATT and CBF in hippocampus. Results: The lowest perfusion measurement was observed in CA1 region across all age groups. Age trajectories of CBF and ATT were demonstrated in different subfields with female showing a more significant decrease of hippocampal perfusion. Impact: Using Human Connectome Project–Aging (HCA) dataset, this study revealed age-related subfield-specific changes in hippocampal ATT and CBF across the adult normative lifespan, including subiculum, CA1-CA4 and the dentate gyrus.