Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining
Published on: May 23, 2025
Brain iron deposition mediates cognitive impairment in COPD: A possible imaging marker linking systemic inflammation
Qian Chen1, Tianlu Teng2, Wenyu Zhou3
1Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Cognitive impairment is a relatively prevalent comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet its neuropathological mechanism remains poorly understood.
Methods:
We enrolled 48 stable COPD patients, categorized into cognitively normal (CogN, n = 22) and impaired (Cog, n = 26) groups based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, along with 34 matched healthy controls. All participants underwent 3T MRI with quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to quantify regional brain iron content. Group comparisons of whole-brain and region-of-interest susceptibility were performed. Mediation analysis was then used to test whether specific brain iron deposition mediates the relationship of both COPD status and peripheral inflammatory markers with cognitive performance.
Results:
Cog patients showed increased total iron in the right cerebellum crus I, while CogN patients exhibited higher paramagnetic susceptibility (χpara) in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), right precentral gyrus, and right brainstem. χpara in the left OFC and right brainstem were positively correlated with total MoCA, abstraction, and orientation scores. Mediation analysis demonstrated that χpara of the left OFC mediated the effects of both COPD status and systemic neutrophil counts on impaired abstraction. Additionally, right brainstem χpara mediated the relationship between COPD and deficits in orientation.
Conclusions:
COPD patients with cognitive impairment exhibited distinct patterns of brain iron deposition. Importantly, deposition in several key regions served as a potential mediator, linking both COPD and systemic inflammation to specific cognitive deficits. These preliminary findings suggest a possible association between brain iron accumulation and cognitive impairment in COPD, offering candidate neuroimaging markers for early identification. .
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease III: Chronic Bronchitis Features
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
