The Analysis of the Correlation between Age and Iron Deposition in the Brain of Healthy Adults using Phase Value

［Abstract］Objective　To quantitatively analyze the iron deposition in deep brain gray nucleus and frontal white matter in healthy adults and its correlation with age using susceptibility-weighted imaging（SWI） with 3.0 Tesla scanner. Methods 157 healthy subjects（age 20 to 85）were scanned with routine sequences and SWI sequences. The subjects were divided into 6 groups according to their age: Group A （age 20 -29），Group B （age 30 -31），Group C（age 40 - 49），Group D （age 50 - 59），Group E（age 60 - 69）and Group F （age > 70）. Phase value was measured in both sides of frontal white matter，red nucleus，substantia nigra pars reticulate，substantia nigra pars compacta，putamen，globus pallidus，head of caudate nucleus and thalamus， and the correlations between the phase value and age was analyzed．Results　The phase value of red nucleus was the lowest，followed by substantia nigra reticulate. The highest phase value was found in the frontal white matter. The difference of phase value among some age groups had statistical significance in head of caudate nucleus（P＜0.05）．Obvious correlations between age and phase value was shown in head of caudate nucleus（r＝0.352，P＜0.01）. Conclusion　SWI can clearly display the cerebral nuclei， evaluate the brain iron content accurately and age-related iron concentration changes．