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The influence of brain iron on myelin water imaging

Christoph Birkl1, Anna Maria Birkl-Toeglhofer2, Verena Endmayr3

  • 1UBC MRI Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.

Neuroimage
|May 21, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Myelin water imaging (MWI) measures myelin content using MRI. However, brain iron can falsely alter MWI results, showing decreased myelin water fraction (MWF) after iron removal, even without myelin loss.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Biochemistry
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

  • Myelin is crucial for brain function and integrity, making myelin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques vital for neurological research.
  • Multi-exponential T2 relaxation, particularly myelin water imaging (MWI), is sensitive to myelin content by differentiating myelin water from intra/extracellular water.
  • Iron in white matter (WM) is linked to myelin and can decrease T2 relaxation times, potentially mimicking myelin-specific signals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether variations in white matter (WM) iron content can lead to apparent changes in the myelin water fraction (MWF).
  • To assess the impact of iron content on MWI measurements in post-mortem human brain tissue.

Main Methods:

  • Myelin water imaging (MWI) was performed on post-mortem human brain tissue before and after chemical iron extraction.
  • Histological analysis was conducted to confirm changes in iron and myelin content post-extraction.

Main Results:

  • Chemical iron extraction significantly decreased WM iron content.
  • Histology confirmed no change in myelin content after iron extraction.
  • MWI revealed a 26%-28% decrease in MWF in WM after iron extraction, indicating iron's influence on the measurement.

Conclusions:

  • Changes in MWF measured by MWI do not solely reflect myelin content alterations.
  • Iron content variations can confound MWI interpretations, impacting previous and future studies.
  • Careful consideration of iron levels is necessary when interpreting MWI findings in neurological research.
Keywords:
BrainIronMyelinMyelin water imagingQuantitative MRIWhite matter

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