Brain extended and closed forms glutathione levels decrease with age and extended glutathione is associated with visuospatial memory
Xin Hu,
Keyu Pan,
Min Zhao,
Jiali Lv,
Jing Wang,
Xiaofeng Zhang,
Yuxi Liu,
Yulu Song,
Aaron T. Gudmundson,
Richard A.E. Edden,
Fuxin Ren,
Tao Zhang,
Fei Gao
Affiliations
Xin Hu
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China
Keyu Pan
Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Institute for Medical Dataology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Min Zhao
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China
Jiali Lv
Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Institute for Medical Dataology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Jing Wang
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China
Xiaofeng Zhang
Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Institute for Medical Dataology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Yuxi Liu
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China
Yulu Song
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
Aaron T. Gudmundson
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
Richard A.E. Edden
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
Fuxin Ren
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China
Tao Zhang
Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Institute for Medical Dataology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
Fei Gao
Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jing-wu Road No. 324, Jinan 250021, China.
During aging, the brain is subject to greater oxidative stress (OS), which is thought to play a critical role in cognitive impairment. Glutathione (GSH), as a major antioxidant in the brain, can be used to combat OS. However, how brain GSH levels vary with age and their associations with cognitive function is unclear. In this study, we combined point-resolved spectroscopy and edited spectroscopy sequences to investigate extended and closed forms GSH levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and occipital cortex (OC) of 276 healthy participants (extended form, 166 females, age range 20–70 years) and 15 healthy participants (closed form, 7 females, age range 26–56 years), and examined their relationships with age and cognitive function. The results revealed decreased extended form GSH levels with age in the PCC among 276 participants. Notably, the timecourse of extended form GSH level changes in the PCC and ACC differed between males and females. Additionally, positive correlations were observed between extended form GSH levels in the PCC and OC and visuospatial memory. Additionally, a decreased trend of closed form GSH levels with age was also observed in the PCC among 15 participants. Taken together, these findings enhance our understanding of the brain both closed and extended form GSH time course during normal aging and associations with sex and memory, which is an essential first step for understanding the neurochemical underpinnings of healthy aging.
