Relationship between aging and T1 relaxation time in deep gray matter: A voxel‐based analysis

Purpose To investigate age‐related changes in T1 relaxation time in deep gray matter structures in healthy volunteers using magnetization‐prepared 2 rapid acquisition gradient echoes (MP2RAGE). Materials and Methods In all, 70 healthy volunteers (aged 20–76, mean age 42.6 years) were scanned at 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A MP2RAGE sequence was employed to quantify T1 relaxation times. After the spatial normalization of T1 maps with the diffeomorphic anatomical registration using the exponentiated Lie algebra algorithm, voxel‐based regression analysis was conducted. In addition, linear and quadratic regression analyses of regions of interest (ROIs) were also performed. Results With aging, voxel‐based analysis (VBA) revealed significant T1 value decreases in the ventral‐inferior putamen, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala, whereas T1 values significantly increased in the thalamus and white matter as well (P