UC San Diego

Cytoarchitectural brain changes during normal aging remain poorly characterized, and it is unclear whether patterns of brain aging differ by sex. This study used restriction spectrum imaging to examine associations between age and brain microstructure in 147 community-dwelling participants (aged 56-99 years). Widespread associations with age in multiple diffusion compartments, including increased free water, decreased restricted and hindered diffusion, and reduced neurite complexity, were observed in the cortical gray matter, the white matter tracts, and the hippocampus. Age differences in cortical microstructure were largely independent of atrophy. Associations were mostly global, although foci of stronger effects emerged in the fornix, anterior thalamic radiation and commissural fibers, and the medial temporal, orbitofrontal, and occipital cortices. Age differences were stronger and more widespread for women than men, even after adjustment for education, hypertension, and body mass index. Restriction spectrum imaging may be a convenient, noninvasive tool for monitoring changes in diffusion properties that are thought to reflect reduced cellular fractions and neurite density or complexity, which occur with typical aging, and for detecting sex differences in patterns of brain aging.