Imaging Brain Iron with Cellular Specificity Using MRI

Imaging Brain Iron with Cellular Specificity Using MRI

Abstract: Iron plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy brain function, serving as a co-factor for essential processes such as energy production, myelination, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, microglia, and dopaminergic neurons therefore exhibit elevated levels of cellular iron. However, high concentrations of iron can induce oxidative stress, potentially leading to neurodegeneration. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides a unique opportunity to monitor brain iron levels based on its paramagnetic properties, affecting various magnetic resonance parameters for water proton spins.
Despite the potential of MRI, current methods for monitoring brain iron lack specificity, making it challenging to distinguish contributions from different cell populations and different pathological processes. In my talk I will demonstrate an approach to obtaining specific information on brain iron by integrating multiple quantitative MRI parameters with biophysical modeling, informed by quantitative iron histology.
This method has been applied to map dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra within the context of Parkinson's disease. Additionally, it sheds light on the contributions of amyloid plaques to MRI contrast in Alzheimer’s disease and can help to detect iron-rich short association fibers in the superficial white matter. By enhancing specificity in brain iron monitoring, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between iron, cellular populations, and neurodegenerative processes.

Evgeniya's Biography: 

1996 - 2002 Studied Physics at the Novosibirsk State University, Russia
2002 - 2005 PhD in Physics, Institute of Chemical Kinetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
2005 - 2009 PostDoc, Freie Universität (FU) and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin, Germany
2009 - 2022 Head of the MRI Core Facility, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, FU Berlin, Germany
2015 - 2022 Senior Researcher, Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS)
since 2022 W2 Group Leader (Assistent/associate professor equivalent), MRI Biophysics Research Group, MPI CBS, Leipzig, Germany