Open AccessBrain iron deposition in primary insomnia—An in vivo susceptibility‐weighted imaging study
Author(s) -
Chen Lin,
Wei Xin,
Liu Chen,
Li Chuanming,
Zhou Zhenhua
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.1138
Subject(s) - primary insomnia , montreal cognitive assessment , caudate nucleus , hippocampus , putamen , pittsburgh sleep quality index , medicine , globus pallidus , psychology , neuroscience , basal ganglia , dementia , cognition , sleep disorder , disease , central nervous system , sleep quality
Background To study the brain iron deposition and its relationships with cognitive impairment and sleep quality in primary insomnia (PI). Methods Thirty‐five patients with PI and 35 volunteers underwent MRI scanning using high‐resolution susceptibility‐weighted imaging sequence. Bilateral anterior cingulate cortices, posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, parietal cortex, and frontal white matter were selected as regions of interest. The phase shift values of the above areas were compared between the two groups. Partial correlations between phase shifts values and neuropsychological scale scores including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Activities of Daily Living Scale, and Clinical Dementia Rating of the PI patients were analyzed. Results Compared with the normal controls, the PI patients showed significant lower MMSE and MoCA scores and increased phase shift values in the left caudate nucleus, left putamen, left hippocampus, and bilateral thalamus ( p < 0.05). Close correlation was found between the phase shift value of the left hippocampus and the MMSE scores of the PI patients ( R = −0.447, p < 0.01). Conclusion The PI patients exhibited significant cognitive impairment and increased iron deposition in several brain regions. The iron concentration of the left hippocampus is a biomarker of cognitive impairment and may play an important role in the pathophysiological mechanism.