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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
Imaging Metals in Brain Tissue by Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry LA-ICP-MS
Published on: January 22, 2017
Association of plasma metals with total burden of cerebral small vessel disease: Evidence from China
Lei Zheng1, Hao-Long Zeng2, Ying Hui3
1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Background:
Exposure to metals has been found to be harmful to health. However, there is currently a lack of evidence on the effect of metals on cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).
Methods:
Based on the Multi-modality MEdical imaging sTudy bAsed on KaiLuan Study, we did a cross-sectional study with 1206 participants. CSVD burden was assessed via scores from four markers: lacunes, white matter hyperintensities, cerebral microbleeds, and enlarged perivascular spaces. We measured 17 plasma metals, used ordered/binary logistic models to test their associations with CSVD burden/presence, and Quantile g-computation model to estimate multi-metal combined effects.
Results:
Plasma concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Cesium (Cs), Copper (Cu), and Lead (Pb) were positively associated with total CSVD burden, whereas no metals were associated with the presence of CSVD. A significant mixture association of multiple metals with total CSVD burden was observed [OR (95 % CI)= 1.18 (1.04, 1.34)], with positive weights contributed by Cd (16.6 %), Cs (15.7 %), Pb (14.4 %), and Cu (13.8 %).
Conclusions:
Our study indicated that plasma metals, especially Cd, Cs, Cu, and Pb, are positively correlated with CSVD, providing epidemiological evidence to support the further exploration of metals' potential role as risk factors for CSVD.
