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Alzheimer Disease / Alzheimer's Disease / Magnetic Resonance Imaging · Journal article
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · May 30, 2026
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This cross-sectional study establishes a normative reference atlas of regional brain glucose metabolism using deuterium metabolic imaging in 30 healthy older adults aged 51–84 years. Significant regional differences were observed for all metabolites; global glutamate plus glutamine production declined 13% per decade with age, while lactate showed no age dependency. The atlas requires additional adjustments (weight, blood glucose, timing) to enable reliable intersubject comparisons and disease discrimination, and serves as a methodological foundation for future DMI studies rather than a clinically validated diagnostic tool.
Cross-sectional observational study. 30 healthy adults aged 51–84 years (15 female); setting and specific eligibility criteria not stated.. Intervention: Ingestion of deuterated [6,6'-2H2]glucose followed by 3 T DMI acquisition. Compared with: Proof-of-concept comparison to external Alzheimer's disease patients and healthy subjects from prior study; no internal control arm. n = 30. Not reported.
Regional differences significant for all metabolites (p < 10−15), with highest values in occipital lobes except lactate Global Glx production decreased 13% ± 4% per decade with age Lactate production higher in males than females (p = 0.042), not significant after regional adjustment (p = 0.084)
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The atlas provides a normative reference framework for interpreting brain metabolic imaging in future studies, but clinicians should recognize that reliable disease discrimination requires additional standardization of weight, blood glucose, and imaging timing. This work is foundational rather than immediately clinically applicable for diagnosis.
A single-arm normative atlas study establishing reference values for brain glucose metabolism in healthy adults; provides methodological foundation for future research but lacks controlled comparisons and clinical validation.
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The atlas provides a normative reference framework for interpreting brain metabolic imaging in future studies, but clinicians should recognize that reliable disease discrimination requires additional standardization of weight, blood glucose, and imaging timing. This work is foundational rather than immediately clinically applicable for diagnosis.
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Purpose. Deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) offers noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based assessment of metabolism in vivo, making it a relevant paraclinical tool for diseases with neurological metabolic alterations. This study aimed to establish a normative reference atlas of brain glucose metabolism accounting for age and sex.Methods. DMI were obtained for 30 healthy adults (aged 51-84 years, 15 female) with a 3 T MRI scanner after ingestion of deuterated [6,6'-2H2]glucose. The images were parcellated to determine the regional distribution of deuterated water, glucose, lactate, and glutamate plus glutamine (Glx). Linear models were applied to investigate the effects of age, sex, and other exploratory adjustments. As a proof-of-concept example of atlas application, the normative atlas was compared with patients with Alzheimer's disease and healthy subjects from a previous study.Results. Regional differences were significant for all metabolites (p < 10-15), with the highest values in the occipital lobes, except for lactate, whose regional distribution pattern was less consistent. While lactate production showed no overall age-dependency, global Glx production decreased 13% ± 4% per decade. Lactate production tended to be higher in males than females (p = 0.042), but this was not significant after regional adjustment (p = 0.084). Discriminating between health and Alzheimer's disease required additional adjustments for weight, blood glucose, and timing.Conclusions. While regional and age effects explained a substantial part of the variability in Glx, reliable intersubject comparisons required additional adjustments. The normative atlas presented here provides a reference for future DMI studies of brain metabolism.
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