Iron Accumulation and Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterised by focal demyelination, chronic inflammation and progressive neurodegeneration of the central nervous system. A growing body of evidence implicates dysregulated iron homeostasis in the pathogenesis of MS. Iron accumulates predominantly in deep grey matter structures and within microglia and macrophages adjacent to demyelinated lesions. Excess iron catalyses the production of reactive oxygen species, exacerbating oxidative stress and tissue damage. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques sensitive to magnetic susceptibility and relaxation rates have emerged as powerful, non-invasive biomarkers of iron deposition. Methods such as quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* relaxometry enable regional quantification of iron content, complementing conventional MRI measures of lesion burden and atrophy. Histological correlation studies have clarified how MRI signal variations arise from the interplay of iron and myelin. Together, these approaches have advanced our understanding of how iron accumulation contributes to inflammation, neurodegeneration and clinical disability in MS. Imaging‐based iron metrics show promise for monitoring disease progression, differentiating clinical subtypes and evaluating novel therapies aimed at modulating iron metabolism or attenuating ferroptotic cell death.
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Iron Accumulation and Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in iron accumulation and imaging in multiple sclerosis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Demyelination: Loss or damage of the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibres, impairing conduction and contributing to neurological deficits.
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM): An MRI post-processing technique that computes tissue magnetic susceptibility, allowing in vivo quantification of iron concentration.
R2* Relaxometry: Measurement of the apparent transverse relaxation rate (1/T2*), sensitive to microscopic magnetic field inhomogeneities caused by iron and myelin.
Ferroptosis: A form of regulated cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, implicated in neurodegeneration.
References
- Iron metabolism disorder and multiple sclerosis: a comprehensive analysis. Frontiers in Immunology (2024).
- Iron in Multiple Sclerosis and Its Noninvasive Imaging with Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2016).
- Untangling the R2* contrast in multiple sclerosis: A combined MRI-histology study at 7.0 Tesla. PLOS ONE (2018).
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