Cerebellar and cerebral grey and white matter volumes: The Rotterdam Study

Abstract

In research about aging of the brain, many researchers have showed an interest in supratentorial atrophy. Although population-based studies have widely investigated structural properties of the cerebrum, the cerebellum has received little attention. Studies in the general population on structural properties of the cerebellum are scarce. In a population-based study of community dwelling elderly we sought to investigate properties of the cerebellum to create normative estimates; to study the relationship with age and sex; and to study the interrelationship with cerebral volumes. The study is based on the Rotterdam Scan Study, an ongoing population-based cohort study investigating age-related brain changes on MRI. We included 3962 persons (mean age 60.2 years (SD 8.6), 54.4% women) with complete MRI scans. Cerebellar and cerebral volumes were calculated using Freesurfer1. We used linear regression analyses to calculate the relationship between age, sex, and volumetric properties of the cerebellum and cerebrum. Average intracranial volume was 1491.0 mL. Cerebellar volume was 134.3 mL in men and 122.4 mL in women. Cerebellar grey matter volume was 102.8 mL and white matter volume was 25.0 mL. Mean cerebral grey matter was 437.1 mL, white matter was 455.1 mL. The ratio of grey and white matter in the cerebellum showed a difference between males and females (p < 0.001). This was not found for the cerebrum (p = 0.56). Age-related volume loss was 0.24 mL per year for cerebellar grey matter (p < 0.001), and 0.11 mL per year for cerebellar white matter (p < 0.001). In the cerebrum the volume loss per year was 0.96 mL (p < 0.001) for grey matter and 1.54 mL for white matter (p < 0.001). Cerebellar and cerebral volumes are larger in men than in women. The ratio of grey and white matter volumes is different for cerebellum and cerebrum. Cerebellar grey matter showed a larger age-related decline than cerebellar white matter, while in the cerebrum, a larger volume loss was found in white matter tissue. These data can serve as a reference for future studies on cerebellar volumes. 1. Fischl, B. et al. 2002. Neuron 33, 341-355.