Connectome Characterization With Aging Using Functional and Structural MRI

The main aim of this project is to develop a new model to characterize brain connectivity and its changes with aging. This characterization will be based on new sensitive and specific markers, allowing a better understanding of structural and functional brain networks. To this end, two complementary MRI methods will be developed: 1) Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) which allows the measurement of cerebral activity in different cortical gray matter regions, and 2) high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) MRI, which allows to characterize brain tissue microarchitecture. HARDI sequences will be developed to acquire and reconstruct fiber tractography of patient's brains. In combination with conventional MRI, both HARDI and rs-fMRI will be used to estimate the connection degree between each pair of cortical regions, so- called "Connectome". Once generated, brain networks will be quantified through numerous graph metrics, such as graph density, global efficiency and assortativity (etc.), reflecting the organization and topology of subjects' connectivity with aging.