Brain Structural Variability due to Aging and Gender in Cognitively Healthy Elders: Results from the São Paulo Ageing and Health Study

Article Figures & Data

Download figure
Open in new tab
Download powerpoint
Fig 1.
Negative correlations between regional GM and age in male and female subgroups. Voxels that surpassed the initial threshold of P < .01 in the statistical parametric maps are marked with the red scale and overlaid on reference 3D rendering images spatially normalized to the Talairach and Tournoux atlas. Numbers indicate the clusters that retain statistical significance at the P < .05 threshold, corrected for multiple comparisons at the voxel level (FWE): right middle and superior temporal gyri (1), right dorsomedial frontal cortex (2), bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (3), left parahippocampal gyrus (4), and bilateral amygdala (5).
Download figure
Open in new tab
Download powerpoint
Fig 2.
Plots of GM versus age (including best-fit regression lines). Male or female subgroups at the P < .05 threshold are represented only in regions in which at least 1 regression model is significant for the overall sample.

Table 1:

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the sample

	Overall Sample	Men (n = 45)	Women (n = 57)	P
Mean age (± SD)	70.17 (±2.28)	70.07 (±2.28)	70.24 (±2.30)	.696^*
Mean years of education (± SD)	4.65 (±3.33)	5.23 (±3.94)	4.16 (±2.67)	.120^*
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (± SD)	3.92 (±7.84)	2.87 (±7.58)	4.75 (±8.01)	.229^*
Subjects with high coronary heart disease risk (%)^†	19 (18.6)	13 (28.9)	6 (10.5)	.002^‡

Table 2:

Correlations between age and regional gray matter volumes

Location	Sex	Brodmann Areas	P_FWECorrected^*	Size of Cluster^†	Peak Z-Score^‡	Coordinates X, Y, Z^§
Highest gray matter decrease as a function of age
Right middle and superior temporal gyri	Overall sample	21, 22, 42	0.040	570	3.78	67, −9, 6
Right middle and superior temporal gyri	Men	21, 22, 42	0.015	349	4.11	69, −8, −6
Right dorsomedial frontal cortex	Men	10, 11	0.048	95	3.38	6, 68, −3
Right orbitofrontal cortex	Men	10, 11	0.038	99	3.72	26, 64, −10
Left orbitofrontal cortex	Men	10, 11	0.042	103	3.62	−6, 66, −10
Left parahippocampal gyrus	Men		0.042	34	3.22	−14, −1, −15
Right amygdala	Men		0.036	17	2.83	18, 1, −15
Left amygdala	Men		0.015	40	3.12	−14, −1, −13
Lowest gray matter decrease as a function of age
Right dorsolateral frontal cortex	Men	6	0.031	154	3.74	24, 3, 55

Note:—FWE indicates family-wise error.
* Statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons; inferences made at the level of individual voxels (FWE correction).
† Number of contiguous voxels that surpassed the initial threshold of P <0.01 (uncorrected) in the statistical parametric maps.
‡ Z-scores for the voxel of maximal statistical significance.
§ Talairach and Tournoux coordinates of the voxel of maximal statistical significance within each cluster.