ONLINE 18TH SEPTEMBER 2014
Ghadery C, Pirpamer L, Hofer E, et al
Brain iron accumulates during aging and has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer´s disease. MR-based R2* mapping enables the in vivo detection of iron content in brain tissue. We investigated if during normal brain aging iron load relates to cognitive impairment in region-specific patterns in a community-dwelling cohort of 336 healthy, middle aged and older adults from the Austrian Stroke Prevention Family Study (ASPS-Fam). MR imaging and R2* mapping in the basal ganglia and neocortex was done at 3T. Comprehensive neuropsychological testing assessed memory, executive function and psychomotor speed.
We found the highest iron concentration in the globus pallidus, and pallidal as well as putaminal iron was significantly and inversely associated with cognitive performance in all cognitive domains, except memory. These associations were iron load-dependent. Vascular brain lesions and brain volume did not mediate the relationship between iron and cognitive performance.
We conclude that higher R2*-determined iron in the basal ganglia correlate with cognitive impairment during brain aging independent of concomitant brain abnormalities. The prognostic significance of this finding needs to be determined.
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