Magnetic resonance imaging of brain iron in health and disease

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences 1995-12, Vol.134 (DEC), p.19-26
• Main Authors: Vymazal, Josef, Brooks, Rodney A., Patronas, Nicholas, Hajek, Milan, Bulte, Jeff W.M., Di Chiro, Giovanni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain - pathology; Brain Chemistry - physiology; Brain iron; Diffusion; Hallervorden-Spatz disease; Health; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Iron - adverse effects; Iron - metabolism; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Nervous system; Nervous System Diseases - pathology; Parkinson's disease; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-510X(95)00204-F

Brain iron is a major contributor to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast in normal gray matter, and its role in the pathogenesis of different neurological disorders has also become apparent. Non-heme brain iron is present in the brain mainly in the form of ferritin. The unique magnetic properties of ferritin determine different signal changes on both T1- and T2-weighted images, and the T2 relaxation rates have a linear dependence on applied field strength. This finding is typical for ferric oxyhydroxide cores. The resulting T2-shortening also depends on echo-spacing used in the imaging sequence as well as on the water diffusion coefficient and the size of the ferritin cluster. Quantitation of non-heme brain iron by MRI aids in the diagnosis and monitoring of different neurological diseases.