Age-related changes in frontal and temporal lobe volumes in men - A magnetic resonance imaging study

Background? Imaging and postmortem studies provide converging evidence that , beginning in adolescence, gray matter volume declines linearly until old age, while cerebrospinal fluid volumes are stable in adulthood (age 20-50 y ears). Given the fixed volume of the cranium in adulthood, it is surprising that most studies observe no white matter volume expansion after approxima tely age 20 years. We examined the effects of the aging process on the fron tal and temporal lobes. Methods: Seventy healthy adult men aged 19 to 76 years underwent magnetic r esonance imaging. Coronal images focused on the frontal and temporal lobes were acquired using pulse sequences that maximized gray vs white matter con trast. The volumes of total frontal and temporal lobes as well as the gray and white matter subcomponents were evaluated. Results: Age-related linear loss in gray matter volume in both frontal(r=-0 .62, P<.001) and temporal (r=-0.48, P<.001) lobes was confirmed. However, t he quadratic function best represented the relationship between age and whi te matter volume in the frontal (P<.001) and temporal (P<.001) lobes. Secon dary analyses indicated that white matter volume increased until age 44 yea rs for the frontal lobes and age 47 years for the temporal lobes and then d eclined. Conclusions: The changes in white matter suggest that the adult brain is in a constant state of change roughly defined as periods of maturation contin uing into the fifth decade of life followed by degeneration. Pathological s tates that interfere with such maturational processes could result in neuro developmental arrests in adulthood.