Metabolite T2 relaxation times decrease across the adult lifespan in a large multi‐site cohort

Purpose Relaxation correction is crucial for accurately estimating metabolite concentrations measured using in vivo MRS. However, the majority of MRS quantification routines assume that relaxation values remain constant across the lifespan, despite prior evidence of T2 changes with aging for multiple of the major metabolites. Here, we comprehensively investigate correlations between T2 and age in a large, multi‐site cohort. Methods We recruited approximately 10 male and 10 female participants from each decade of life: 18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60+ y old (n = 101 total). We collected PRESS data at eight TEs (30, 50, 74, 101, 135, 179, 241, and 350 ms) from voxels placed in white‐matter‐rich centrum semiovale (CSO) and gray‐matter‐rich posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). We quantified metabolite amplitudes using Osprey and fit exponential decay curves to estimate T2. Results Older age was correlated with shorter T2 for tNAA2.0, tCr3.0, tCr3.9, tCho, and tissue water (CSO and PCC), as well as mI and Glx (PCC only); rs = −0.22 to −0.63, all p