Khader M. Hasan1, Indika S. Walimuni1,
Humaira Abid1, Larry A. Kramer1, Richard E. Frye2,
Jack M. Fletcher3, Linda Ewing-Cobbs2
1Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging,
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United
States; 2Pediatrics, UTHSC, Houston, TX, United States; 3Psychology,
University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
In
this work, we report for the first time a comprehensive account of the macro
and microstructure of these structures using a large cross-sectional healthy
cohort across the healthy lifespan (N=281 males and females aged 6-68 years).
We demonstrate using a validated novel
DTI and atlas-based tissue segmentation approach that the MRI microstructural
correlates of volume decrease of these structures bilaterally, in both men
and women are a T2 relaxation that follows a U curve that is commensurate
with a fractional ansiotropy increases with age and a U curve mean
diffusivity. A strong correlation between T2 and mean, radial and axial
diffusivities is also noted. The
interplay between T2 relaxation and DTI metrics was also examined.
Keywords