Mapping brain metals to evaluate therapies for neurodegenerative disease

The brain is rich in metals and has a high metabolic rate, making it acutely vulnerable to the toxic effects of endogenously produced free radicals. The abundant metals, iron and copper, transfer single electrons as they cycle between their reduced (Fe(2+) , Cu(1+) ) and oxidized (Fe(3+) , Cu(2+) ) states making them powerful catalysts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Even redox inert zinc, if present in excess, can trigger ROS production indirectly by altering mitochondrial function. While metal chelators seem to improve the clinical outcome of several neurodegenerative diseases, their mechanisms of action remain obscure and the effects of long-term use are largely unknown. Most chelators are not specific to a single metal and could alter the distribution of multiple metals in the brain, leading to unexpected consequences over the long-term. We show here how X-ray fluorescence will be a valuable tool to examine the effect of chelators on the distribution and amount of metals in the brain.