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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
Volume 16 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1485530

Correlation between iron deposition and cognitive function in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease based on quantitative susceptibility mapping

Provisionally accepted
Yuqi Zhi Yuqi Zhi 1Ting Huang Ting Huang 1Shanwen Liu Shanwen Liu 1Meng Li Meng Li 1Hua Hu Hua Hu 1Xiaoyun Liang Xiaoyun Liang 2Zhen Jiang Zhen Jiang 1Jiangtao Zhu Jiangtao Zhu 1*Rong Liu Rong Liu 1*
  • 1 Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
  • 2 Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Innovation, Neusoft Medical Systems Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Alzheimer′s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressively worsening cognitive decline and memory loss. Excessive iron accumulation produces severe cognitive impairment. However, there are no uniform conclusions about changes in brain iron content in AD. This study aimed to investigate the iron content of the deep brain nuclei in AD, and its correlation with cognitive function.Methods: Thirty-one patients with mild to moderate AD, 17 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 20 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HC) were collected. The QSM was used to quantify the magnetic susceptibility values of the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, red nucleus, and dentate nucleus, and to analyze the differences that existed between the three groups. As well as the correlation between the magnetic susceptibility values and cognitive function was calculated.Results: The magnetic susceptibility values of bilateral globus pallidus, left putamen, and bilateral substantia nigra were significantly higher in AD patients than in HC, and the magnetic susceptibility values of the right globus pallidus were significantly higher in AD patients than in MCI (all P<0.05).The magnetic susceptibility values of the left dentate nucleus in the AD group were negatively correlated with the writing function of the MMSE subitem (r=-0.42, P=0.020), and the magnetic susceptibility values of the left caudate nucleus and right dentate nucleus were significantly and negatively correlated with the naming function and language function of the MoCA subitem, respectively (r=-0.43, P=0.019; r=-0.36, P=0.048).Magnetic susceptibility values based on QSM correlate with cognitive function are valuable in discriminating AD from MCI and AD from HC.

    Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, Quantitative susceptibility mapping, Iron, Cognitive Function, magnetic susceptibility values

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 02 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhi, Huang, Liu, Li, Hu, Liang, Jiang, Zhu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jiangtao Zhu, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
    Rong Liu, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.