Metabolite T (2) relaxation times decrease across the adult lifespan in a large multi-site cohort

Authors

Kathleen E. Hupfeld, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Saipavitra Murali-Manohar, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Helge J. Zöllner, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Yulu Song, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Christopher W. Davies-Jenkins, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Aaron T. Gudmundson, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Dunja Simicic, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Gizeaddis Lamesgin Simegn, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Emily E. Carter, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Steve C. Hui, Developing Brain Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Vivek Yedavalli, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Georg Oeltzschner, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Eric C. Porges, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Richard A. Edden, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

10-24-2024

Journal

Magnetic resonance in medicine

DOI

10.1002/mrm.30340

Keywords

T2 relaxation times; TE series; healthy aging; magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS); metabolites

Abstract

PURPOSE: Relaxation correction is crucial for accurately estimating metabolite concentrations measured using in vivo MRS. However, the majority of MRS quantification routines assume that relaxation values remain constant across the lifespan, despite prior evidence of T changes with aging for multiple of the major metabolites. Here, we comprehensively investigate correlations between T and age in a large, multi-site cohort. METHODS: We recruited approximately 10 male and 10 female participants from each decade of life: 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+ y old (n = 101 total). We collected PRESS data at eight TEs (30, 50, 74, 101, 135, 179, 241, and 350 ms) from voxels placed in white-matter-rich centrum semiovale (CSO) and gray-matter-rich posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). We quantified metabolite amplitudes using Osprey and fit exponential decay curves to estimate T. RESULTS: Older age was correlated with shorter T for tNAA, tCr, tCr, tCho, and tissue water (CSO and PCC), as well as mI and Glx (PCC only); r = -0.22 to -0.63, all p < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected. These associations largely remained statistically significant when controlling for cortical atrophy. By region, T values were longer in the CSO for tNAA, tCr, Glx, and tissue water and longer in the PCC for tCho and mI. T did not differ by region for tCr. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the importance of considering metabolite T differences with aging in MRS quantification. We suggest that future 3T work utilize the equations presented here to estimate age-specific T values instead of relying on uniform default values.

APA Citation

Hupfeld, Kathleen E.; Murali-Manohar, Saipavitra; Zöllner, Helge J.; Song, Yulu; Davies-Jenkins, Christopher W.; Gudmundson, Aaron T.; Simicic, Dunja; Lamesgin Simegn, Gizeaddis; Carter, Emily E.; Hui, Steve C.; Yedavalli, Vivek; Oeltzschner, Georg; Porges, Eric C.; and Edden, Richard A., "Metabolite T (2) relaxation times decrease across the adult lifespan in a large multi-site cohort" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 5780.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/5780

Department

Radiology