ABSTRACT
Iron is an important trace element in human body, and too much or too little iron can lead to corresponding pathological changes. Although there is no direct evidence that the destruction of iron homeostasis leads to neurodegenerative diseases, it is undeniable that the abnormal iron content is involved in the pathogenesis of most diseases. Having high resolution and sensitivity, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) imaging is able to detect abnormal iron depositions in the early stage of most neurodegenerative diseases, therefore it is used as the main method to quantitatively measure iron content in vivo brain tissue in the study of neurodegenerative diseases in recent years. QSM imaging research progresses of iron metabolism in Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were reviewed in this article.