Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that the dysregulation of neuronal iron may play a critical role in Alzheimer's disease. Recent MRI studies have established a relationship between iron accumulation and amyloid-β aggregation. The present study provides further insight demonstrating a relationship between iron and tau accumulation using magnetic resonance-based quantitative susceptibility mapping and tau-PET in n = 236 subjects with amyloid-β pathology (from the Swedish BioFINDER-2 study). Both voxel-wise and regional analyses showed a consistent association between differences in bulk magnetic susceptibility, which can be primarily ascribed to an increase in iron content, and tau-PET signal in regions known to be affected in Alzheimer's disease. Subsequent analyses revealed that quantitative susceptibility specifically mediates the relationship between tau-PET and cortical atrophy measures, thus suggesting a modulatory effect of iron burden on the disease process. We also found evidence suggesting the relationship between quantitative susceptibility and tau-PET is stronger in younger participants (age ≤ 65). Together, these results provide in vivo evidence of an association between iron deposition and both tau aggregation and neurodegeneration, which help advance our understanding of the role of iron dysregulation in the Alzheimer's disease aetiology.
Source: Brain
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,570
Awards: Development of new biomarkers and brain imaging techniques for Dementia and Parkinsonian disorders: key tools for exploring etiology to improve diagnosis and advance drug development, G3480186095, G4028979961, New biomarkers for Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s diseases - key tools for early diagnosis and drug development, G6349190859, 3rd International Conference on Tomography of Materials and Structures, G8021773044
OpenAlex ID: W3017800099