Brain manganese concentrations in human aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

Manganese levels have been measured in various brain regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aging using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Mn grand mean for all regions was 0.261 micrograms/g for adult controls and 0.245 micrograms/g for AD and the differences were not statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Highest Mn levels were found in the basal ganglia in controls and AD. No significant alterations in Mn were found with advancing age suggesting that the brain has an efficient homeostatic mechanism regulating Mn concentrations. Mn exhibited a significant positive correlation with Fe. Infants had a significantly lower brain Mn level compared to adults.