Neuroimaging, nutrition, and iron-related genes
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Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Review
Neuroimaging, nutrition, and iron‑related genes Neda Jahanshad · Priya Rajagopalan · Paul M. Thompson
Received: 1 February 2013 / Revised: 23 April 2013 / Accepted: 13 May 2013 © The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Several dietary factors and their genetic modifiers play a role in neurological disease and affect the human brain. The structural and functional integrity of the living brain can be assessed using neuroimaging, enabling largescale epidemiological studies to identify factors that help or harm the brain. Iron is one nutritional factor that comes entirely from our diet, and its storage and transport in the body are under strong genetic control. In this review, we discuss how neuroimaging can help to identify associations between brain integrity, genetic variations, and dietary factors such as iron. We also review iron’s essential role in cognition, and we note some challenges and confounds involved in interpreting links between diet and brain health. Finally, we outline some recent discoveries regarding the genetics of iron and its effects on the brain, suggesting the promise of neuroimaging in revealing how dietary factors affect the brain. Keywords Neuroimaging · Genetics · Iron · Diet · Transferrin · HFE · Nutrition · Brain development Abbreviations MRI Magnetic resonance imaging dMRI Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging DTI Diffusion tensor imaging SNP Single-nucleotide polymorphism FA Fractional anisotropy TBM Tensor-based morphometry
N. Jahanshad · P. Rajagopalan · P. M. Thompson (*) Imaging Genetics Center, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Neuroscience Research Building 225E, 635 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095‑1769, USA e-mail: [email protected]
DHA Docosahexaenoic acid EPA Eicosapentaenoic acid AD Alzheimer’s disease PD Parkinson’s disease MS Multiple sclerosis RLS Restless leg syndrome ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis SZ Schizophrenia ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Introduction The human brain changes dynamically throughout life, and profound changes occur from childhood to old age, and, in particular, with the progression of disease. The structural integrity of the living brain may be evaluated with brain scans obtained through a range of neuroimaging techniques. These brain scans include, among others, highresolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-based MRI. Standard anatomical MRI has been the mainstay of clinical neuroradiology for over two decades, and has helped reveal signs of brain aging, such as cortical atrophy, vascular changes, and changes over time in the gray and white matter. More recently, “diffusion-based” MRI has been embraced by neuroscientists and clinical researchers alike, as it can assess microstructural properties of the white matter fibers and the breadth of their connections. This technology is offering new insights into how the brain is organized, how it
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