Hohmann Anja, Zhang Ke, Jende Johann M E, Mooshage Christoph M, Görgen Kai, Rotkopf Lukas T, Schlemmer Heinz-Peter, Vollmuth Philipp, Bendszus Martin, Wick Wolfgang, Kurz Felix T
Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Imaging Neurosci (Camb). 2024 Jan 11;2. doi: 10.1162/imag_a_00066. eCollection 2024.
Previous studies indicate region-specific age- and sex-related changes in cerebral microvasculature. Using whole-brain vascular architecture mapping (VAM), our objective was to map and assess these changes in human microvasculature . Cardiovascular healthy women (n = 40) and men (n = 32) with unifocal low-grade glioma, matched for age [range: 20-70 years] and BMI, were examined on the non-tumor hemisphere with a combined spin and gradient echo echo-planar imaging sequence at 3 T MRI. Vessel vortex curves were obtained by pair-wise plotting changes in relaxation rates R2* and R2 during contrast agent bolus passage, which each generate a set of VAM parameters that characterize microvascular properties, such as vessel type, lumen size, or blood flow. Averaged VAM values of cortical grey matter, white matter, putamen, globus pallidus, caudate nucleus, thalamus, insular cortex, and hippocampus were assessed for age- and sex-related changes. With age, dominant vessel types changed from capillaries to an arteriole-dominated profile, particularly in insula, thalamus, and globus pallidus. In white matter, blood flow velocity decreased significantly with aging for both sexes (r = -0.33, p = 0.004). In women, aging was associated with an increase in microvessel caliber, particularly in thalamus (r = 0.39, p = 0.01) and insula (r = 0.34, p = 0.03). In all grey matter areas, women had a higher microvessel density than men (4.33 ± 0.26ˑ10 ms vs. 4.18 ± 0.26ˑ10 ms; p = 0.025, respectively). Aging affects microvasculature differently across brain regions in women and men, especially in thalamus and insula.
先前的研究表明，脑微血管存在区域特异性的年龄和性别相关变化。我们利用全脑血管结构图谱（VAM），旨在绘制并评估人类微血管的这些变化。对40名心血管健康的女性和32名患有单灶性低度胶质瘤的男性进行研究，这些受试者年龄[范围：20 - 70岁]和体重指数相匹配，在3T磁共振成像（MRI）下，使用自旋和梯度回波平面成像序列对非肿瘤半球进行检查。通过在造影剂团注通过期间成对绘制弛豫率R2*和R2的变化来获得血管涡旋曲线，每一个都生成一组表征微血管特性（如血管类型、管腔大小或血流）的VAM参数。评估皮质灰质、白质、壳核、苍白球、尾状核、丘脑、岛叶皮质和海马体的平均VAM值，以了解年龄和性别相关变化。随着年龄增长，主要血管类型从毛细血管转变为以小动脉为主，特别是在岛叶、丘脑和苍白球。在白质中，两性的血流速度均随年龄增长而显著下降（r = -0.33，p = 0.004）。在女性中，衰老与微血管管径增加有关，特别是在丘脑（r = 0.39，p = 0.01）和岛叶（r = 0.34，p = 0.03）。在所有灰质区域，女性的微血管密度均高于男性（分别为4.33±0.26ˑ10 ms对4.18±0.26ˑ10 ms；p = 0.025）。衰老对男性和女性大脑不同区域的微血管影响不同，尤其是在丘脑和岛叶。
