Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference (WCUCC) 2026 at UBC – Mo et al.
The Role of Non-heme Iron in Deep Grey Matter Structures in Preterm Infants following Brain Injury
Ran Mo, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Floria Lu, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Cecil Chau, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Steven Ufkes, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Jessie van Dyk, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Steven Miller, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Ruth Grunau, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Alexander Mark Weber, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Presentation Info
Event: 2026 Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference
Institution: University of British Columbia - Vancouver Campus
Location: Vancouver, BC
Date: May 16-18, 2026
Session: TBA
Abstract
Non-heme iron is essential for neurodevelopment in preterm infants and may change abnormally following brain injury, thus highlighting the importance of detecting these abnormalities early in the infant’s life. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), a non- invasive MRI technique, can quantify the magnetic susceptibility of different regions in the brain, which allows us to quantitatively differentiate paramagnetic iron from diamagnetic products such as calcium and myelin, thereby serving as a robust tool in understanding iron distribution in the brain. We hypothesized that deep grey matter (DGM) structures served as sites of abnormal iron changes following brain injury in preterm infants, which may lead to neurological impairment. 110 subjects (GA = 24-32 weeks) underwent MRI scans following brain injury and 69 scans with clear visibility of the regions of interest (ROIs: thalamus, caudate and lentiform nuclei) were selected for QSM analysis. The mean ROI susceptibility was recorded and interactively compared with gestational age (GA), postmenstrual age (PMA), and brain injuries (IVH and WMI) via mixed-effects linear regression. Bayley Cognitive and Motor Composite scores at 36-month follow-ups and ROI susceptibility were compared via Pearson partial correlation. Left thalamic susceptibility increased following IVH (ß = 0.0018263, P = 0.001484) and there were significant correlations between motor scores and right lentiform nucleus susceptibility (ρ = 0.4595814, P = 0.01817452). These finding suggest that thalamic iron deposition may be a potential complication following brain injury in preterm infants, and that non-heme iron levels in the lentiform may be a significant determinant of motor outcomes in preterm infants.