A Follow-Up Study Investigating The Spectrum Of Cognitive Impairment By MRI: Does Iron Cause Cognitive Dysfunction Or Vice Versa?

Abstract

Introduction: Cognitive disorders, characterized by transient stages and potential Alzheimer's disease, are influenced by changes in iron deposits in the brain. These changes can lead to toxicity and neuron death. Quantitative susceptibility mapping is used to accurately represent these changes, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the time window of each cognitive disorder stage and the need for targeted treatment.Material and Methods: The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative research database was used to download the data and eight healthy participants and twenty-one participants with cognitive disorders based on MMSE cognitive test scores in 5 groups of cognitively normal, Subjective Memory Concern , Early Mild Cognitive Impairment, Late Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease were included in this study. Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping processing was performed using the SEPIA toolbox in MATLAB, and segmentation was performed using FSL software. Finally, statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS V26 software.Results: Statistically significant changes were observed in the QSM values of the right thalamus (p-value = 0.043) in the LMCI group and the right hippocampal nucleus (p-value = 0.050) in the control group.Conclusion: After one year, the right hippocampal nucleus shows increased iron accumulation in healthy individuals, suggesting that the nucleus is susceptible to the highest rate of iron deposition in healthy individuals. Based on this result, the hypothesis that iron deposits are the cause of the unknown cause-and-effect relationship between iron deposits and Alzheimer's disease may be confirmed.

Keywords

• cognitive dysfunction
• neurodegenerative diseases
• alzheimer disease
• iron metabolism disorders