Assessment of iron levels in brain tissue in the context of chronic alcohol intoxication

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possibility of postmortem diagnosis of chronic alcohol intoxication based on the determination of iron concentration in brain structures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Brain tissue samples from 4 areas (basal ganglia on the left and right, the black substance of the midbrain, and the hippocampus) were taken from 20 deceased individuals (4 women and 16 men) aged 16-96 years. The concentration of iron was determined using optical emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma. The absolute concentrations of iron in the black matter and basal ganglia were additionally weighted by the level of iron concentration in the hippocampus in order to bring them to a common scale. The results were studied in relation to the results of morphological and forensic chemical studies. RESULTS: The area of the most intensive iron deposition is the black matter, and peak levels of iron concentrations are observed among those who died between the ages of 20 and 44 for the black matter and between 20 and 50 for the basal ganglia. The black matter and basal ganglia have higher concentrations at the age of 50 and older than at the age of 20. It was found that the weighted level of iron deposition in the black substance in deceased individuals with signs of chronic alcohol intoxication was higher than in the control group, and this indicator was resistant to acute and chronic drug intoxication, traumatic brain injury, and certain organic brain lesions and neurodegeneration. CONCLUSION: The data obtained show that the level of iron concentration in the black substance of the midbrain, which is weighted by the level of iron concentration in the hippocampus, is more sensitive to the chronic alcohol intoxication. These concentrations are resistant to the presence of traumatic brain injuries of various ages, other organic pathologies, and neurodegenerative diseases. No effect of acute or chronic drug intoxication on the level of iron deposition in the studied brain areas was found.