Normative trajectories of R1, R2*, and Susceptibility values of the healthy human brain cortex
Motivation: Quantitative MRI (qMRI) offers sensitive and specific measures to study age-related microstructural changes in the brain. However, models assessing age trajectories in qMRI brain properties are often incomparable among centers. Goal(s): Develop normative models reflecting aging trajectories and assess the impact of bi-centric, non-fully matched protocols in brain aging studies. Approach: Investigating age trajectories in cortical regions using polynomial regression models, focusing on quantitative R1, R2*, and susceptibility mapping (QSM). Results: We validated data harmonization by observing the impact on normative trajectories using bicentric data, where we noted significantly different maturation and aging inflections for R1 and R2* trajectories across cortical regions. Impact: This bi-centric, multi-parameter qMRI study investigates age-dependent variations across cortical regions, offering a valuable reference for subsequent qMRI aging research and emphasizing age effects on the cortical surface.