Abstract #2497

Smith S, Bulte J, van Zijl P

We present a high field MTR comparison of different gray matter structures in the human brain revealing an outstanding correlation with age-adjusted iron concentration in vivo (r = 0.90). Similar studies in ferritin doped agarose phantoms showed an even stronger correlation (r = 0.98) of the MTR with [Fe]. The widening of the water peak with increased iron concentration increases the direct saturation leading to elevated MTR in iron rich regions. This finding is likely to be acutely powerful for the quantification of cerebral changes in iron storage diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons diseases and many others.