Using fractal dimension analysis with the desikan–killiany atlas to assess the effects of normal aging on subregional cortex alterations in adulthood

Chi Wen Jao, Chi Ieong Lau, Li Ming Lien, Yuh Feng Tsai, Kuang En Chu, Chen Yu Hsiao, Jiann Horng Yeh, Yu Te Wu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Normal aging is associated with functional and structural alterations in the human brain. The effects of normal aging and gender on morphological changes in specific regions of the brain are unknown. The fractal dimension (FD) can be a quantitative measure of cerebral folding. In this study, we used 3D-FD analysis with the Desikan–Killiany (DK) atlas to assess subregional morphological changes in adulthood. A total of 258 participants (112 women and 146 men) aged 30–85 years participated in this study. Participants in the middle-age group exhibited a decreased FD in the lateral frontal lobes, which then spread to the temporal and parietal lobes. Men exhibited an earlier and more significant decrease in FD values, mainly in the right frontal and left parietal lobes. Men exhibited more of a decrease in FD values in the subregions on the left than those in the right, whereas women exhibited more of a decrease in the lateral subregions. Older men were at a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and exhibited age-related memory decline earlier than women. Our FD analysis using the DK atlas-based prediagnosis may provide a suitable tool for assessing normal aging and neurodegeneration between groups or in individual patients.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107
Pages (from-to)1-17
Number of pages17
JournalBrain Sciences
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2021

Keywords

  • Desikan–Killiany Atlas
  • Fractal dimension
  • Normal aging
  • Prediagnosis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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