Reduced brain glutathione levels during normal aging are associated with visuospatial memory

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 combatting OS. However, how brain GSH levels vary with age and their associations with cognitive function remain unclear. In this study, we combined point-resolved spectroscopy and edited spectroscopy sequences to investigate GSH levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and occipital cortex (OC) of 276 healthy participants (166 females, age range 20–70 years) and examined their relationships with age and cognitive function. The results revealed decreased GSH levels with age in the PCC among all participants. Notably, the timecourse of GSH level changes in the PCC and ACC differed between males and females. Additionally, positive correlations were observed between GSH levels in the PCC and OC and visuospatial memory. Taken together, these findings enhance our understanding of the brain GSH timecourse during normal aging and associations with sex and memory, which is an essential first step for understanding the neurochemical underpinnings of OS-related diseases.