Cerebral metabolic changes in healthy aging: A cross-sectional 1H-MRS study

Motivation: Understanding age-associated changes in cerebral metabolism may provide mechanistic insights into the physiology of cognitive decline. Goal(s): The goal of the study was to explore the effect of normal aging on neurometabolite levels in different brain regions using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Approach: We performed 1H-MRS in brain regions associated with executive function, memory, and motor coordination in individuals without known disease recruited from the community and ranging from 19-57 years of age. Results: We found a steady decline in markers of neuronal health and neurotransmission and an increase in markers of gliosis and/or neuroinflammation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with age. Impact: This study will inform future studies using 1H-MRS based normative brain metabolic data by mapping metabolic levels in healthy brain regions involved with executive function, memory, and motor coordination.