Age-related changes in locus ceruleus on neuromelanin magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla.

PURPOSE To investigate age-related changes in the locus ceruleus (LC) in healthy subjects using neuromelanin magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3 Tesla. METHODS We examined 64 healthy volunteers (aged 23 to 80 years) using neuromelanin-sensitive T1-weighted images and measured the contrast of areas of high signal intensity corresponding to the LC. RESULTS A pair of punctate areas of high signal intensity that represented neuromelanin within the noradrenergic neurons of the LC was easily recognized in all subjects. The contrast ratio of the LC to the adjacent pontine tegmentum increased to the age of 40 to 59 years and gradually and significantly decreased in elderly subjects. This correlates well with pathologically proven age-related changes in neuromelanin content within the LC. CONCLUSION Age-related variance should be considered when determining the existence of abnormalities in the LC.