Brain metabolite concentrations measured by 1H-MRS change throughout the lifespan, with the greatest changes occurring early (Kreis et al. 1993; Pouwels et al. 1999) and late in life (Chang et al. 1996). Only one study examined the heritability of brain metabolites and how they change with age (Batouli et al. 2012). In elderly twins (65–88 years), only NAA levels showed a high heritability (72%) in the posterior cingulate cortex (Batouli et al. 2012): sex appeared to have no significant effects on heritability. More studies on the heritability of these brain metabolites throughout the life span should be performed.
