chai chao MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Shuo Yan MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Shuang Xia MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Wen Shen, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To evaluate the distribution and age-related changes of brain iron deposition in healthy people using MR susceptibility mapping (SM).

63 healthy right-handed volunteers (male 24, female 39, age 20~63 years, mean 37±13 years) underwent the SWI scan to get the unfiltered phase and magnitude images, SM was reconstructed from the unfiltered phase and magnitude images by Susceptibility Mapping and Phase Artifacts Removal Toolbox (SMART) software. The regions of interest of bilateral frontal white matter and deep gray matter nuclei were outlined manually and the susceptibility was measured by Signal Processing in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SPIN). The correlation between the susceptibility and iron concentration cited from Hallgren and Sourander's post-mortem brain study was calculated. Wilcoxon test was applied to compare susceptibility of bilateral frontal white matter and deep gray matter nuclei. Spearman correlation analysis between the susceptibility of frontal white matter and deep gray matter nuclei and age was calculated.

There is a strong positive correlation between the susceptibility and iron concentration (r=0.905, p=0.002): (1) The susceptibility of globus pallidus was highest, the second was substantia nigra, the least susceptibility was seen in frontal white matter, which is same with the post-mortem brain study; (2) There was significant difference in the susceptibility of bilateral caudate head, substantia nigra, red nucleus and dentate nucleus (p<0.05); (3) The gender-related differences in susceptibility of bilateral globus pallidus between male and female subjects were statistically significant, the left p=0.024, the right p=0.016; (4) There were positive correlations between age and susceptibility of bilateral caudate head, putamen, red nucleus and dentate nucleus (p<0.05); the mean susceptibility values of these nuclei also had positive correlations with age (p<0.05).

SM can accurately evaluate the brain iron content, which is correlated with the post-mortem brain study and iron deposition of bilateral caudate head, putamen, red nucleus and dentate nucleus increase with aging.

Abnormal brain iron deposition has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some neurodegenerative diseases.To know the normal  brain iron changes with aging is helpful to diagnose the disease, understand the pathologic mechanism and guide the clinical therapy.

chao, c, Yan, S, Xia, S, Shen, W, Preliminary Study of Distribution and Age-related Changes of Brain Iron Deposition in Healthy Subjects by Susceptibility Mapping.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14005648.html