Table 1 Brain ECM stiffness in aging

MRE

↓

24 healthy human volunteers (22–72 years old)

Hippocampal region:

◾ young: 2.89 ± 0.32 kPa

◾ older: 2.65 ± 0.39 kPa

(difference: -8.30%)

[22]

MRE

↓

55 healthy human volunteers (18–88 years old)

-0.015 kPa/year in healthy brain (0.8%, p < 0.001)

[23]

MRE

↓

66 healthy human volunteers (18–72 years old)

-0.75%/ year (p < 0.001)

[24]

MRE

↓

45 healthy human volunteers (56–89 years old)

-0.011 ± 0.002 kPa/year

[25]

MRE

↓

50 healthy human volunteers (20–69 years old)

-0.0065 ± 0.0013 kPa/year in temporal lobes (p < 0.0001)

[26]

MRE

↓

54 healthy human volunteers (36–72 years old)

-0.011 kPa/year in hippocampal region

[27]

MRE + DTI

↓

28 healthy human volunteers (18–62 years old)

Both isotropic and anisotropic stiffness decrease with age in different brain regions

[28]

AFM

↑

79 C57BL/6 mice (considered from post-natal day one to 10-month-old)

Cortex region:

◾ 1-day-old:

0.255 ± 0.014 kPa

◾ 31-day-old: 0.541 ± 0.035 kPa

% difference: + 112.16%

[31]

Indentation

↑

Two age groups of wild-type mice (C57BL6/ Harlan): 8 juveniles (1-month-old) and 5 adults (6 and 9-month-old)

An increase of 20%-150% with aging in hippocampal regions

[32]