Kasahara H, Yamada H, Tanno M, Kobayashi M, Karasawa A, Endo K, Ushijima S
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Japan.
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1995 Dec;49(5-6):273-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1995.tb01901.x.
The aims of the present study were to clarify the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the aging brain, and to relate the MRI findings to higher order cortical function. A total of 118 healthy aged volunteers (41 men, 77 women) underwent cranial MRI electroencephalography (EEG), Benton visual retention test (BVRT) and interview. The subjects had no past history or clinical evidence of cerebrovascular disorder, head trauma or dementia and were living at home without any difficulty. The majority of the subjects have participated in this series of studies since 1982. Using a 1.5 T superconductive MR instrument, T1-weighted, proton density and T2-weighted images were obtained. The MRI data were rated visually by regarding 12 items according to fixed criteria. T2 high signal intensity (T2HSI) lesions were found in 69.5% of subjects, the prevalence of which increased with age. T2HSI lesions were most frequently found in the basal ganglia (61.9%), followed by the thalamus (39.0%), parietal lobe (37.0%), temporal lobe (12.7%) and pons (8.5%). Among these lesions, lacunar infarction showed low signal intensity in T1-weighted images and was found in 24.6% of subjects, the prevalence also increasing with age. These findings, including brain atrophy determined according to similar criteria, were correlated closely with the subjects' age. The results of BVRT showed a close relation with T2HSI, suggesting that T2HSI may influence cognitive function. When the subjects were classified according to the presence of T2HSI, lacunar infarction and EEG abnormalities, brain atrophy was significantly milder in a group of subjects with T2HSI(-), lacunar infarction(-) and normal EEG than in the other groups. This suggests that changes seemingly representing physiological aging may be promoted by another pathological which also exerts influences on higher order cerebral function.
本研究的目的是阐明衰老大脑的磁共振成像（MRI）结果，并将MRI结果与高级皮层功能联系起来。共有118名健康老年志愿者（41名男性，77名女性）接受了头颅MRI、脑电图（EEG）、本顿视觉保持测验（BVRT）和访谈。这些受试者既往无脑血管疾病、头部外伤或痴呆的病史或临床证据，且在家中生活无任何困难。自1982年以来，大多数受试者参与了这一系列研究。使用1.5T超导MR仪，获得了T1加权、质子密度和T2加权图像。根据固定标准对12项内容进行视觉评估，对MRI数据进行评分。69.5%的受试者发现有T2高信号强度（T2HSI）病变，其患病率随年龄增长而增加。T2HSI病变最常见于基底节（61.9%），其次是丘脑（39.0%）、顶叶（37.0%）、颞叶（12.7%）和脑桥（8.5%）。在这些病变中，腔隙性梗死在T1加权图像中呈低信号强度，24.6%的受试者发现有腔隙性梗死，其患病率也随年龄增长而增加。这些发现，包括根据类似标准确定的脑萎缩，与受试者的年龄密切相关。BVRT结果与T2HSI密切相关，提示T2HSI可能影响认知功能。当根据T2HSI、腔隙性梗死和EEG异常的存在对受试者进行分类时，T2HSI（-）、腔隙性梗死（-）和EEG正常的一组受试者的脑萎缩明显比其他组轻。这表明看似代表生理性衰老的变化可能由另一种也对高级脑功能产生影响的病理状态所促进。
