Normative trajectories of quantitative MRI parameters in sub-cortical grey matter on healthy ageing

The effects of ageing on quantitative MRI, including R1, R2* and tissue susceptibility, are investigated in subcortical grey matter using a healthy cohort. General Linear Regression analysis indicates that ageing has significant impacts on these quantitative measures: the mean R1 has inverted U-shape appearances with time, while the mean R2* and susceptibility are closer to linear. We further studied the spatial variation in these structures and the results show that the spatial gradient of some structures (e.g. caudate and putamen) also changes with age. Normative trajectories of these parameters in subcortical grey matter associated with ageing are also investigated.