Age-related changes in regional cerebral blood flow among young to midlife adults

Using PET with (15)OH2O, we examined age in relation to regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) among young to mid-life adults. Previous work has largely contrasted rCBF between young and elderly age groups dichotomously. This study maps the continuum of normal age-related changes in rCBF from early to mid-adulthood. We obtained images from 37 healthy volunteers between 19 and 50 years of age during an eyes-closed resting baseline condition. There was a negative correlation between age and rCBF in mesial frontal cortex, involving the anterior cingulate region (r = 0.63, p<0.001). These findings reflect differences in the distribution of rCBF evident in early to mid-adulthood that may be associated with subsequent changes in memory and executive functioning in later life.