The Research On Brain Iron In Depression Patients Based On Magnetic Susceptibility Mapping

Objective: In this study,susceptibility weighted imaging(SWI)and quantitative susceptibility imaging(QSM)were used to measure and analyze the brain gray matter nuclei in patients with depression and healthy controls.The clinical application of SWI and QSM in the diagnosis and monitoring of depression was discussed.Methods: 44 cases of clinically confirmed depression patients and 20 age-and gender-matched controls were participated into this study.The patients with depression were divided into two groups of mild-moderate(MD)and major depression(MDD)according to the Hamilton score.All subjects underwent routine 3.0T MR head scaning,SWI and GRE sequence scanning.The corrected phase values of five gray nuclei of red nucleus,substantia nigra,putamen,globus pallidus and caudate nucleus of all subjects were measured,and the QSM values of four gray nucleus named globus pallidus,caudate nucleus,putamen and thalamus were statistically analyzed.Results: 1.In the corrected phase map,magnitude map and SWI images,the iron deposition showed low signal.The Analysis of Covariance of the corrected phase values of the three groups of the measured brain regions showed that compared with normal controls,the CP values of both bilateral putamen and left caudate nuclei in MDD were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(P<0.05),suggesting that the iron deposition in the major depression group was greater than that in the normal control group,while CP values of bilateral red nucleus,substantia nigra,and globus pallidus were found no significance.Compared with the normal control group,there was significant difference in the bilateral putamen in MD group(P<0.05),but there was no difference in the other brain area(P>0.05).There was no difference in the corrected phase values between the two groups in the depression group(P>0.05).The corrected phase value of bilateral putamen is negatively correlated with Hamilton score(P<0.05).2.In the QSM image,the iron deposition area were high signal.The Analysis of Covariance of the measured three groups of QSM values showed that compared with the normal control group,the average QSM value of the bilateral putamen and thalamus in MDD group were significantly higher than those of the normal control group (P<0.05).The QSM value of the bilateral putamen and left thalamus in MDD group were also larger than those in the normal control group(P<0.05),and there was no difference in the other brain area.The QSM values in MD group were no significant difference compared with the control group,in the QSM value of all brain regions(P>0.05).The average QSM value of the bilateral putamen and bilateral putamen nucleus in MDD group were larger than those of the MD group(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference in the residual brain region.The QSM value in bilateral putamen and left thalamus is positively correlated with Hamilton score(P<0.05).Conclusion: Iron deposits in gray matter of the brain,especially in bilateral putamen and left thalamus,in the depressive patients is associated with the depression severity.Iron can be sensitively measured by susceptibility weighted imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping,which are effective methods for detecting iron deposition in the brain of depressed patients.With the sequences and post-processing developping,magnetic susceptibility mapping,especially quantitative susceptibility imaging,will help us in the early diagnosis and further intervention of depression.