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TUESDAY, June 30, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) have increased iron concentration in the deep gray matter and neocortical regions compared with healthy controls (HC), according to a study published online June 30 in Radiology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Anna Damulina, M.D., from the Medical University of Graz in Austria, and colleagues examined baseline and change in brain iron levels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with R2* relaxation rate mapping in 100 individuals with AD, recruited between 2010 and 2016, and 100 age-matched HC, selected from 2010 to 2014. All participants underwent 3-Tesla MRI, including R2* mapping. At a mean follow-up of 17 months, 56 of 100 participants with AD underwent neuropsychological testing and brain MRI.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that compared with the HC group, the AD group had higher median R2* levels in the basal ganglia and total neocortex, and regionally in the occipital and temporal lobes. In participants with AD, there was an association between R2* values in the temporal lobe and longitudinal changes in Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease total score, independent of longitudinal changes in brain volume.<\/p>\n
“Our study provides support for the hypothesis of impaired iron homeostasis in Alzheimer’s disease and indicates that the use of iron chelators in clinical trials might be a promising treatment target,” a coauthor said in a statement. “MRI-based iron mapping could be used as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease prediction and as a tool to monitor treatment response in therapeutic studies.” <\/p>\n
One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n