Iron levels in the brain can be estimated using newly developed specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. This technique has several applications, especially in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Coupling ex vivo MRI with histology allows neuroscientists to better understand what they see in the images. Iron is one of the most extensively studied elements, both by MRI and using histological or physical techniques. Researchers were initially only able to make visual comparisons between MRI images and different types of iron staining, but the emergence of specific MRI sequences like R2* or quantitative susceptibility mapping meant that quantification became possible, requiring correlations with physical techniques. Today, with advances in MRI and image post-processing, it is possible to look for MRI/histology correlations by matching the two sorts of images. For the result to be acceptable, the choice of methodology is crucial, as there are hidden pitfalls every step of the way. In order to review the advantages and limitations of ex vivo MRI correlation with iron-based histology, we reviewed all the relevant articles dealing with the topic in humans. We provide separate assessments of qualitative and quantitative studies, and after summarizing the significant results, we emphasize all the pitfalls that may be encountered.

中文翻译：

---

将离体 MRI 与铁组织学相匹配：珍珠和陷阱。


可以使用新开发的特定磁共振成像（MRI）序列来估计大脑中的铁水平。这项技术有多种应用，特别是在阿尔茨海默病或帕金森病等神经退行性疾病中。将离体 MRI 与组织学相结合，可以让神经科学家更好地理解他们在图像中看到的内容。铁是通过 MRI 以及组织学或物理技术研究最广泛的元素之一。研究人员最初只能在 MRI 图像和不同类型的铁染色之间进行视觉比较，但特定 MRI 序列（如 R2* 或定量磁化率图）的出现意味着量化成为可能，需要与物理技术的相关性。如今，随着 MRI 和图像后处理的进步，可以通过匹配两种图像来寻找 MRI/组织学相关性。为了获得可接受的结果，方法的选择至关重要，因为每一步都存在隐藏的陷阱。为了回顾离体 MRI 与铁基组织学相关的优点和局限性，我们回顾了所有涉及人类主题的相关文章。我们对定性和定量研究进行单独评估，在总结重要结果后，我们强调可能遇到的所有陷阱。