Brain iron levels could be a warning sign of future Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests.
High levels of chemical elements Increases brain toxins And it leads to cognitive decline, especially when it interacts with abnormal amyloid and tau proteins, a distinctive pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered that a special MRI technique called quantitative sensitivity mapping (QSM) can measure brain iron levels.
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“QSM is advanced MRI Techniques Senior author of the study, Dr. Xu Li, Ph.D., associate professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said in a press release.
“QSM can provide a reliable and non-invasive method for detecting small differences in iron levels in different brain regions and mapping and quantifying patient iron, which is not possible with traditional MR approaches.”
Compare with traditional imaging options Alzheimer’s disease diagnosisQSM MRI, including PET scans, is “non-invasive and much more affordable.”
This measure can help predict possible mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitive decline, even if the person is not showing symptoms.
The risk of dementia was reduced with one general health intervention, the study said
In a study published in Journal Radiology, researchers MRI Techniques 158 cognitively unimpaired participants from previous research projects.
After a seven-and-a-half year follow-up period, the team concluded that higher iron levels in two important parts of the brain are associated with a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment. This usually premonitions the development of Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
“A key point of our study is that higher iron levels are higher, especially in several important brain regions associated with memory and learning (embryonic cortex and putamen, as shown in our study). Cognitive decline“Li told Fox News Digital.
“And such brain iron changes could be measured several years before amnesia, where participants are still cognitively normal.”
“We have used QSM to find higher brain iron in memory-related areas that are associated with a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment and faster risk of cognitive decline,” Li said. “This risk is even higher if participants have high levels of amyloid pathology.”
The study had several limitations, and Li said it included a small group of participants.
” Research Group “It is from a specialized cohort consisting mainly of white, highly educated participants with a strong family history of Alzheimer’s,” the researchers noted.
Larger and more diverse studies confirm these findings, release says, can support the use of this MRI technique in patients at high risk of dementia.
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“I think we should hope,” Lee said. “This type of tool can be used to identify and potentially guide patients at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Early intervention When new treatments become available. In addition to functioning as a biomarker, brain iron could also be a future therapeutic target. ”
Researchers also hope that QSM technology will be more standardized, faster and more widely accessible, he added.
Li pointed out that although brain iron is associated with neurodegeneration and may result in faster cognitive decline, it is also a key factor. Cognitive Health Neurodevelopment at a young age.
“While therapies for Alzheimer’s disease are currently being investigated, their effectiveness is not yet very clear and more research is needed,” he said.
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This study was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institutes of Aging, and the National Institutes of Health.
