AUTHOR=Huang Chuanbin , Li Jing , Liu Chang , Zhang Yong , Tang Qiqiang , Lv Xinyi , Ruan Mengyue , Deng Kexue 

TITLE=Investigation of brain iron levels in Chinese patients with Alzheimer’s disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1168845

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2023.1168845

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>We aimed (i) to explore the diagnostic value of deep gray matter magnetic susceptibility in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in China and (ii) to analyze its correlation with neuropsychiatric scales. Moreover, we conducted subgroup analysis based on the presence of the <italic>APOE-</italic>ε<italic>4</italic> gene to improve the diagnosis of AD.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>From the prospective studies of the China Aging and Neurodegenerative Initiative (CANDI), a total of 93 subjects who could undergo complete quantitative magnetic susceptibility imaging and <italic>APOE-</italic>ε<italic>4</italic> gene detection were selected. Differences in quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) values between and within groups, including AD patients, individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls (HCs), both <italic>APOE-</italic>ε<italic>4</italic> carriers and non-carriers, were analyzed.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>In primary analysis, the magnetic susceptibility values of the bilateral caudate nucleus and right putamen in the AD group and of the right caudate nucleus in the MCI group were significantly higher than those in the HCs group (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05). In <italic>APOE-</italic>ε<italic>4</italic> non-carriers, there were significant differences in more regions between the AD, MCI, and HCs groups, such as the left putamen and the right globus pallidus (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05). In subgroup analysis, the correlation between QSM values in some brain regions and neuropsychiatric scales was even stronger.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Exploration of the correlation between deep gray matter iron levels and AD may provide insight into the pathogenesis of AD and facilitate early diagnosis in elderly Chinese. Further subgroup analysis based on the presence of the <italic>APOE-</italic>ε<italic>4</italic> gene may further improve the diagnostic efficiency and sensitivity.</p></sec>