Age-related changes and sex differences in thalamic subregional volumes
JIANG Jiahuan
LE Yipeng
WANG Xiuzhi
LIANG Meng
Abstract：Objective To systematically evaluate the age-related changes in total thalamic volume,left and right thalamic volumes,and volumes of 50 subregions,and 5 functional groups volumes,and to explore the influence of sex on these changes.Methods A total of 35 489 eligible participants from the large-scale UK Biobank(UKB)database were retrospectively included,comprising 16 873 males and 18 616 females,with a mean age of 64.1±7.6 years.Thalamic subregional volumes were segmented using Freesurfer as provided by UKB,including 50 anatomical subregions.These subregions were further categorized into five functional groups based on anatomical and functional connectivity:cognitive,visual,auditory&vestibular,motor,and somatosensory.General linear models were applied to analyze the effects of age and the interaction between age and sex on thalamic volumes,adjusting for total intracranial volume(TIV),body mass index(BMI),and education level.Analyses were also stratified by sex.Results Total thalamic volume,bilateral thalamic volumes,34 subregions,and all five functional group volumes showed significant negative correlations with age(all P＜8.62×10-4),with the most pronounced volume reductions observed in the bilateral mediodorsal magnocellular nucleus(MDm)and lateral geniculate nucleus(LGN).Eleven subregions showed significant positive correlations with age(all P＜8.62×10-4),with the most marked increase found in the bilateral subgeniculate nucleus(L-SG).Significant age-by-sex interaction effects were found for total thalamic volume,bilateral thalamic volumes,29 subregions,and the cognitive and motor functional groups(all P＜8.62×10-4).In most cases,males exhibited a faster rate of volume decline compared to females.The most prominent interaction effects were seen in the bilateral anterior ventral nucleus(AV)and MDm.Conclusion This study reveals spatial heterogeneity in the age-related changes of thalamic subregional volumes and demonstrates that sex modulates age-related volume changes in total thalamic volume,29 subregions,and the cognitive and motor functional groups.
Keywords：ThalamusCognitive functionMagnetic resonance imaging
Publication Date：2025-07-15
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 426-433 )