Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Sweden.
Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Sweden; Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Neurobiol Aging. 2024 Dec;144:56-67. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.09.004. Epub 2024 Sep 10.
Iron is necessary for many neurobiological mechanisms, but its overaccumulation can be harmful. Factors triggering age-related brain iron accumulation remain largely unknown and longitudinal data are insufficient. We examined associations between brain iron load and accumulation and, blood markers of iron metabolism, cardiovascular health, lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, diet), and ApoE status using longitudinal data from the IronAge study (n = 208, age = 20-79, mean follow-up time = 2.75 years). Iron in cortex and basal ganglia was estimated with magnetic resonance imaging using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Our results showed that (1) higher peripheral iron levels (i.e., composite score of blood iron markers) were related to greater iron load in the basal ganglia; (2) healthier diet was related to higher iron levels in the cortex and basal ganglia, although for the latter the association was significant only in younger adults (age = 20-39); (3) worsening cardiovascular health was related to increased iron accumulation; (4) younger ApoE ε4 carriers accumulated more iron in basal ganglia than younger non-carriers. Our results demonstrate that modifiable factors, including lifestyle, cardiovascular, and physiological ones, are linked to age-related brain iron content and accumulation, contributing novel information on potential targets for interventions in preventing brain iron-overload.
铁是许多神经生物学机制所必需的，但过量积累可能有害。触发与年龄相关的大脑铁积累的因素在很大程度上尚不清楚，纵向数据也不足。我们使用来自 IronAge 研究的纵向数据（n=208，年龄=20-79，平均随访时间=2.75 年），检查了大脑铁负荷和积累与血液铁代谢标志物、心血管健康、生活方式因素（吸烟、饮酒、身体活动、饮食）以及 ApoE 状态之间的关联。使用磁共振成像定量磁化率映射（QSM）来估计皮质和基底节中的铁。我们的结果表明：（1）外周铁水平较高（即血液铁标志物的综合评分）与基底节中的铁负荷增加有关；（2）更健康的饮食与皮质和基底节中的铁水平升高有关，但后者仅在年轻成年人（年龄=20-39）中具有显著相关性；（3）心血管健康状况恶化与铁积累增加有关；（4）年轻的 ApoE ε4 携带者比年轻的非携带者在基底节中积累更多的铁。我们的结果表明，可改变的因素，包括生活方式、心血管和生理因素，与与年龄相关的大脑铁含量和积累有关，为预防大脑铁过载的干预措施的潜在目标提供了新的信息。
