Iron levels in the human brain: A post-mortem study of anatomical region differences and age-related changes

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Patricia Ramos (Author) Other; Agostinho Santos (Author) Other; Nair Rosas Pinto (Author) Other; Ricardo Mendes (Author) Other; Teresa Magalhaes (Author) Other; Agostinho Almeida (Author) FFUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology

Vol. 28 No. 1

ISSN: 0946-672X

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 164 Citations

Scopus - 170 Citations

Pubmed / Medline

Current Contents

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Health sciences > Neuroscience ; Health sciences > Medical sciences > Medicine > Brain research ; Physical sciences > Chemistry

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-009-5J4

Abstract (EN): The link between brain iron homeostasis and neurodegenerative disease has been the subject of extensive research. There is increasing evidence of iron accumulation during ageing, and altered iron levels in some specific brain regions in neurodegenerative disease patients have been reported. Using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion of the samples, iron levels were determined in 14 different areas of the human brain [frontal cortex, superior and middle temporal, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, cingulated gyrus, hippocampus, inferior parietal lobule, visual cortex of the occipital lobe, midbrain, pons (locus coeruleus), medulla and cerebellum (dentate nucleus)] of n=42 adult individuals (71 +/- 12 years old, range: 53-101 years old) with no known history or evidence of neurodegenerative, neurological or psychiatric disorders. It was found that the iron distribution in the adult human brain is quite heterogeneous. The highest levels were found in the putamen (mean +/- SD, range: 855 +/- 295 mu g/g, 304-1628 mu g/g) and globus pallidus (739 +/- 390 mu g/g, 225-1870 mu/g), and the lowest levels were observed in the pons (98 +/- 43 mu g/g, 11-253 mu g/g) and medulla (56 +/- 25 mu g/g, 13-115 mu g/g). Globally, iron levels proved to be age-related. The positive correlation between iron levels and age was most significant in the basal ganglia (caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus). Compared with the age-matched control group, altered iron levels were observed in specific brain areas of one Parkinson's disease patient (the basal ganglia) and two Alzheimer's disease patients (the hippocampus). (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific