Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Carl Von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 27;13(1):6866. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33922-5.
As part of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, the hypothalamus exerts pivotal influence on metabolic and endocrine homeostasis. With age, these processes are subject to considerable change, resulting in increased prevalence of physical disability and cardiac disorders. Yet, research on the aging human hypothalamus is lacking. To assess detailed hypothalamic microstructure in middle adulthood, 39 healthy participants (35-65 years) underwent comprehensive structural magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, we studied HPA axis dysfunction proxied by hair cortisol and waist circumference as potential risk factors for hypothalamic alterations. We provide first evidence of regionally different hypothalamic microstructure, with age effects in its anterior-superior subunit, a critical area for HPA axis regulation. Further, we report that waist circumference was related to increased free water and decreased iron content in this region. In age, hair cortisol was additionally associated with free water content, such that older participants with higher cortisol levels were more vulnerable to free water content increase than younger participants. Overall, our results suggest no general age-related decline in hypothalamic microstructure. Instead, older individuals could be more susceptible to risk factors of hypothalamic decline especially in the anterior-superior subregion, including HPA axis dysfunction, indicating the importance of endocrine and stress management in age.
作为下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺 (HPA) 轴的一部分，下丘脑对代谢和内分泌稳态起着关键的影响。随着年龄的增长，这些过程会发生相当大的变化，导致身体残疾和心脏疾病的患病率增加。然而，对衰老人类下丘脑的研究还很缺乏。为了评估中年人的详细下丘脑微观结构，39 名健康参与者（35-65 岁）接受了全面的结构磁共振成像。此外，我们研究了头发皮质醇和腰围作为下丘脑改变的潜在风险因素的 HPA 轴功能障碍。我们提供了下丘脑微观结构区域差异的第一个证据，年龄对其前上亚基有影响，这是 HPA 轴调节的关键区域。此外，我们报告说，腰围与该区域的游离水增加和铁含量减少有关。在年龄方面，头发皮质醇与游离水含量也有关系，因此皮质醇水平较高的老年参与者比年轻参与者更容易受到游离水含量增加的影响。总的来说，我们的结果表明，下丘脑微观结构没有普遍的与年龄相关的下降。相反，老年人可能更容易受到下丘脑下降的危险因素的影响，特别是在前上亚区，包括 HPA 轴功能障碍，这表明内分泌和压力管理在年龄方面的重要性。
