AUTHOR=Zhou Wei , Shen Bo , Shen Wei-qiang , Chen Hao , Zheng Yi-feng , Fei Jing-jing 

TITLE=Dysfunction of the Glymphatic System Might Be Related to Iron Deposition in the Normal Aging Brain

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2020.559603

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2020.559603

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> The study aims to detect the potential relationship between iron deposition and the function of the glymphatic system in the normal aging brain.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> We recruited 213 healthy participants. We evaluated the function of the glymphatic system using the index for diffusivity along the perivascular space (ALPS-index), assessed iron deposition on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), and analyzed their relationship.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The mean age of participants was 60.1 ± 7.3, and 107 (50.2%) were female. The mean ALPS-index was 1.4 ± 0.2. The QSM values of the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, and dentate nucleus were all related to the ALPS-index (all <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> The main finding of the current study is that the regional brain iron deposition was related to the function of the glymphatic system.</p><p><bold>Advances in knowledge:</bold> We first evaluated the relationship between deposition of brain iron and the dysfunction of the glymphatic system.</p>