More than Simply Iron: MRI for Cellular Iron Mapping in the Human Brain
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Nikolaus Weiskopf

Tuesday, 14 May 2019

Session Number: MIS-12

Overview
Iron is indispensable for brain function in its different forms of appearance. It is involved in myelination, neurotransmitter synthesis, energy metabolism and immune response. In addition, pathological iron accumulation is a contributor to several neurodegenerative disorders and serves as a biomarker for neurodegeneration. Unique information about the chemistry and distribution of paramagnetic iron is provided by MRI observables: relaxation rates, magnetic susceptibility and magnetization transfer rates. These parameters contain highly desirable information about the cellular iron distribution and chemistry. Yet, to exploit this information beyond a mere linear dependence of the MRI parameters on the iron concentration, deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms is required. To tackle this challenge, we propose a symposium that unites leading experts in cellular iron metabolism, relaxation theory, advanced in vivo and post mortem iron quantification and magnetometry. The current knowledge of cellular iron distribution, molecular and cellular mechanisms of iron-induced MR contrasts in vivo and post mortem will be presented alongside discussion of specific MRI techniques.

The symposium will catalyze the development of novel specific MR-based iron biomarkers, towards in vivo MRI iron mapping in the human brain. It combines highly relevant brain science with fundamental MRI aspects.

Target Audience
Neuroscientist, radiologists, physicist, engineers, and method developers interested in novel techniques for brain iron quantification using MRI.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Identify main cell types and cellular compartments containing iron in grey and white matter as well as in brain nuclei in healthy and pathological brains;
- Define which MR techniques are sensitive to brain iron;
- Discuss basic mechanisms of iron-induced relaxation, susceptibility, and magnetisation transfer in the human brain; and
- Describe how advanced methods of iron quantification can contribute to our understanding of iron-induced MR contrasts.