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Abstract #2387

High Field MR Microscopy of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in the Ex Vivo Human Globus Pallidus

Parastou Foroutan1,2, Melissa E. Murray3, Shinsuke Fujioka4, Katherine J. Schweitzer4, Dennis W. Dickson3, Samuel Colles Grant1,2, Zbigniew K. Wszolek4

1National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States; 2Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, the Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States; 3Department of Pathology & Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States; 4Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States


MR microscopy (MRM) of the postmortem human globus pallidus (GP) acquired at 21.1 T was employed to distinguish between Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and healthy brain tissue. Statistical significance was found between PSP and controls for T2* and T2 relaxation in the GP interna and externa as well as for T2* in the putamen. Histology showed that the GP interna displayed the largest difference between the PSP samples and controls, with the former showing a higher iron burden. As such, non-hem iron in the brain serves as a contrast enhancer and as a pathological biomarker to distinguish PSP samples from controls.