Aging-related Changes in Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values of the Cerebral Metabolites Using Diffusion Weighted Mr Spectroscopy

Introduction: The aging process is characterized by physiological changes which impair numerous organs and systems, especially their functions [1]. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DW-MRS), which introduces pairs of diffusion gradients to MRS, is of fundamental interest because it allows evaluation of the intrinsic diffusion properties of the metabolites, which is more relevant for the understanding of pathphysiological process [2]. With the rapid development of imaging technology, significant change due to aging effect in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of total cerebral creatine/phosphocreatine (tCr) has been obtained from previous research with animal models [3]. The purpose of this study was using DW-MRS to reveal the aging-related changes in diffusion of metabolites in human brain in vivo.