Motivation: Brain iron is critical for neurodevelopment, but its quantification in early life is challenging. Goal(s): To assess the feasibility and sensitivity of 7T QSM for measuring brain iron in the early postnatal period. Approach: We scanned 12 neonates and 11 children using 7T QSM. We compared susceptibility values in subcortical and cortical regions between neonates and children and assessed associations of susceptibility with gestational age and post-menstrual age in neonates. Results: We demonstrate the feasibility of 7T QSM in the neonatal brain and show that it can detect regional variations in tissue iron through different stages of brain development. Impact: 7T QSM is feasible and sensitive to iron deposition in the neonatal brain, offering potential for early detection of iron-related developmental markers. This approach may improve understanding of prematurity's effects on brain iron and future neurodevelopment.
Casella et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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