Yuan-Yu Hsu1, 2, Ho-Ling Liu3, Ling-Yi Huang1, 3, Kun-Eng Lim1, 2
1Radiology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital-Taipei Branch, Xindien, Taipei, Taiwan; 2School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; 3Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
This study aimed to evaluate the regional differences in cerebrovascular response to hypercapnia challenges between young and elderly adults. Twenty young (F/M = 10/10, mean age = 28.2 y/o) and twenty elderly (F/M = 12/8, mean age = 64.4 y/o) adults were studied by 3-T BOLD MRI during repeated 15-second breath-holdings. Significant breath-hold regulated BOLD signal increases were identified in gray matters. Compared to the young group, the elderly had a 50% decrease in the activation volume. There were significantly less BOLD signal increase in amygdala and dentate nucleus in elderly than in young adults (P < 0.001).