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The Role of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Study of Cognitive Aging

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Brain Imaging in Behavioral Neuroscience

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences ((CTBN,volume 11))

Abstract

This chapter gives an overview of the role that diffusion tensor MRI (DTI) can play in the study of cognitive decline that is associated with advancing age. A brief overview of biological injury processes that impinge on the aging brain is provided, and their overall effect on the integrity of neural architecture is described. Cognitive decline associated with aging, and white matter connectivity degradation as a biological substrate for that decline, is then described. We then briefly describe the technology of DTI as a means for in vivo, non-invasive interrogation of white matter connectivity, and relate it to FLAIR, a more traditional MRI method for assessing white matter injury. We then survey the existing findings on relationships between aging-associated neuropathological processes and DTI measurements on one hand; and relationships between DTI measurements and late-life cognitive function on the other. We conclude with a summary of current research directions in relation to DTI studies of cognitive aging.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Pauline Maillard for tremendous help with the DTI-FLAIR section, Figs. 4, 5. Thanks to Luda Sakhanenko for help with Fig. 6. Thanks to Dan Mungas for help with Fig. 2. We also acknowledge the generous support of NIH grant K01 AG 030514 and a grant from the Dana Foundation.

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  1. Neurology Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Owen Carmichael

  2. Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Samuel Lockhart

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Correspondence to Owen Carmichael .

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  1. , UC Davis Imaging Center, University of California at Davis, X Street 4701, Sacramento, 95817, California, USA

    Cameron S. Carter

  2. , Dep of Experimental Psychology/Dep of Ps, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom

    Jeffrey W. Dalley

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Carmichael, O., Lockhart, S. (2011). The Role of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Study of Cognitive Aging. In: Carter, C., Dalley, J. (eds) Brain Imaging in Behavioral Neuroscience. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 11. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2011_176

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