Diamagnetic susceptibility and relationship to amyloid burden in Alzheimer’s Disease

Motivation: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder affecting cognitive functions, memory, and behavior, primarily in older adults. It's marked by abnormal protein deposits, including beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, causing nerve cell dysfunction and death. Goal(s): Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detects beta-amyloid but has limitations. High-resolution MRI imaging can detect beta-amyloid, focusing on diamagnetic properties associated with electron density. Approach: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is particularly effective at 7 Tesla MRI, offering high sensitivity and better neuroanatomy details. Results: The study utilized 7T MRI to measure beta-amyloid's diamagnetic susceptibility in AD patients using separated QSM technique. Impact: In this study we leveraged the high susceptible sensitivity of 7T MRI to measure the diamagnetic susceptibility of beta-amyloid aggregated in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients using separated quantitative susceptibility mapping.