Age and gender predict volume decline in the anterior and posterior hippocampus in early adulthood

Abstract

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides a noninvasive method for investigating brain morphology. Within the medial temporal lobe, special attention has been paid to the hippocampus (HC) and amygdala (AG) because of their role in memory, depression, emotion, and learning. Volume changes in these areas have been observed in conjunction with certain disease states, e.g. Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Aging has also been shown to result in gray matter volume loss of the overall brain, including the HC. With regard to gender specificity, results suggest a larger shrinkage for men of brain gray matter, with controversial observations being made for the HC. With recently refined MRI acquisition and segmentation protocols, the HC and AG of 80 subjects in early adulthood (39 men and 41 women, age 18-42 years) were investigated. Whereas the volume of the AG appeared to be independent of age and gender, a significant negative correlation with age for both left and right HC was found in men (r = -0.47 and -0.44, respectively) but not in women (r = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). The volume decline in men appeared to be linear, starting at the beginning of the third life decade and approximating 1.5% per annum. Using voxel-based regressional analysis, it was shown that changes with age occurred mostly in the head and tail of the HC. This finding underscores the need to include sociodemographic variables in functional and anatomical MRI designs.

Fig. 1.

Scatterplots between left (A) and right (B) hippocampal volume and age in 41 healthy, normal women (age 18–42 years).

Fig. 2.

Scatterplots between left (A) and right (B) hippocampal volume and age in 39 healthy, normal men (age 18–36 years).

Fig. 3.

Transverse slice through the long axis of the hippocampus showing the results from the voxel-based regression analysis for women (A) and men (B).

Fig. 4.

Coronal slice perpendicular to the anterior–posterior commissure line at the level of the HC head showing the results from the voxel-based regressional analysis for women (A) and men (B).

Fig. 5.

Coronal slice perpendicular to the anterior–posterior commissure line at the level of the HC tail showing the results from the voxel-based regressional analysis for women (A) and men (B).