The age-related dynamics of brain stem volume in women

Abstract

Aim to study the dynamics of brain stem volumetric parameters in women from the early adulthood period to the middle old age according to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.
 Material and methods.The material for the study was the MRI data of 94 female patients. The MRI was prescribed to exclude a probable pathology of the central nervous system in these patients. All the subjects gave their consent to participate in the study. The study sample included individuals without pathology of central and peripheral nervous system, with absence of alcohol or drug addiction, with skulls of average shape mesocranes. The cranial index was calculated according to the protruding extreme points on the axial section in 3D reconstruction mode. The subjects were divided into four groups according to selected age periods. The first group consisted of 25 women of the early adulthood (21-35 years); the second group included 25 women of the middle and late adulthood (36-55 years); the third group included 23 early old age women (56-74 years); the fourth group consisted of 21 middle old age women (75-88 years).
 Results. The brain stem volume in women decreased by 1.21% (t=3.84; p0.01) during the whole period of adulthood and by 0.82% (t=2.32; p0.01) from the late adulthood to early old age. From early old age to middle old age, there was only a tendency for volume to decrease by 0.83% (t=1.75; p0.05). In early adulthood period women, the brain stem volume was 2.8% higher than in middle old age women (t=6.47; p0.01).
 Conclusion.The results of intravital comparative analysis of the brain stem volume in women of the adulthood period, early and middle old age contribute to the knowledge about its relation to age and sex parameters and can be used in further morphofunctional studies and in clinical practice in gerontology, neurology and rehabilitation.