Detection of iron in the brain: towards a new diagnostic tool

Lead investigator: Dr Joanna Collingwood
Institution: University of Warwick
Grant type: PhD
Duration: 3 years
Amount: £75,000

Scientific Title: Evaluation of altered brain iron in Alzheimer's disease as a diagnostic tool.

What do we already know?

Iron is vital for keeping cells healthy but too much or too little in the wrong place can be harmful. Iron can be present in the brain in different chemical states, and the 'ferrous' state is more reactive.

We know that iron is deposited in and around the amyloid plaques that form in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, and iron may contribute to the damage to nerve cells.

Dr Collingwood has already shown that various forms of iron can be detected in brain tissue. She wants to know if the changes in the form and distribution of  iron are significant enough to be used to diagnose the disease.

What does this project involve?

The PhD student, Mary Finnegan, will look at whether the iron observed in Alzheimer's brain tissue might be detected by MRI.

Post-mortem brain tissue will be analysed using high-powered MRI microscopy and a synchrotron, a huge machine that generates light beams up to 100 billion times brighter than the Sun. The synchrotron is extremely sensitive to tiny concentrations of metals in tissue.

Data will be combined with findings from post-mortem and clinical studies around the world to assess whether changes in iron have the potential to be used to identify Alzheimer's by MRI scanning.

How will this work benefit people with dementia?

This work explores the exciting possibility that early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease could be assisted non-invasively by detection of iron by MRI.