Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining
07:32

Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining

Published on: May 23, 2025

1.2K

Brain iron deposition in primary insomnia-An in vivo susceptibility-weighted imaging study

Lin Chen1, Xin Wei2, Chen Liu2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.

Brain and Behavior
|December 15, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Primary insomnia patients show increased brain iron deposition in key areas, linked to cognitive impairment. Hippocampal iron levels may indicate cognitive decline in insomnia.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Primary insomnia (PI) is a sleep disorder.
  • Brain iron deposition is implicated in neurological disorders.
  • Cognitive impairment is a common comorbidity in PI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate brain iron deposition in PI patients.
  • To explore the relationship between iron deposition, cognitive function, and sleep quality in PI.

Main Methods:

  • 35 PI patients and 35 controls underwent MRI using susceptibility-weighted imaging.
  • Regions of interest included hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and cortical areas.
  • Phase shift values (iron concentration proxy) were correlated with cognitive and sleep scores.

Main Results:

  • PI patients had lower MMSE and MoCA scores than controls.
  • Increased phase shift values were observed in the left caudate nucleus, left putamen, left hippocampus, and bilateral thalamus in PI patients.
  • A significant negative correlation was found between left hippocampus phase shift values and MMSE scores.

Conclusions:

  • PI is associated with significant cognitive impairment and increased brain iron deposition.
  • Elevated iron in the left hippocampus may serve as a biomarker for cognitive impairment in PI.
  • Brain iron dysregulation might contribute to the pathophysiology of PI and associated cognitive deficits.
Keywords:
MRIcognitive impairmentiron depositionprimary insomnia

More Related Videos

Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes08:45

Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes

Published on: May 10, 2022

2.4K
Labeling hESCs and hMSCs with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Non-Invasive in vivo Tracking with MR Imaging09:06

Labeling hESCs and hMSCs with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Non-Invasive in vivo Tracking with MR Imaging

Published on: March 31, 2008

10.3K

Related Concept Videos

Insomnia01:27

Insomnia

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, and waking up too early without being able to return to sleep. People with insomnia often experience these disruptions at least three nights a week for at least one month. Chronic insomnia, which lasts for at least three months, can lead to increased anxiety, which in turn can worsen sleep difficulties, creating a cycle of sleeplessness and stress.
Multiple factors contribute...
476
Management of Insomnia01:19

Management of Insomnia

The sleep cycle, an integral part of human health, consists of several stages with distinct characteristics and functions. It begins with a transition from wakefulness to sleep, known as the light sleep phase, followed by the restorative deep sleep phase, essential for physical recovery and growth. The cycle concludes with the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, characterized by high brain activity and vivid dreaming. Insomnia, a prevalent sleep disorder, involves difficulty falling asleep, staying...
638
Weighted Mean00:57

Weighted Mean

While taking the arithmetic, geometric, or harmonic mean of a sample data set, equal importance is assigned to all the data points. However, all the values may not always be equally important in some data sets. An intrinsic bias might make it more important to give more weightage to specific values over others.
For example, consider the number of goals scored in the matches of a tournament. While computing the average number of goals scored in the tournament, it may be more important to...
6.3K
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
20.2K
Brain Imaging01:14

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans),  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),  functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
741
Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability01:31

Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability

In linear magnetic materials, like paramagnets and diamagnets, magnetization is proportional to the magnetic field intensity. The constant of proportionality, a dimensionless number, is called magnetic susceptibility. The value of the susceptibility depends on the type of material.
When diamagnetic materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Hence, the susceptibility for diamagnets has a minimal negative value of 10-5–10-6. Since...
2.4K