[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/brain.jpg.jpg” caption=”Nicholas Bock’s Brain Metal Imaging Laboratory may one day help researchers and doctors better understand what they see on MRI scans.”]Nicholas Bock's Brain Metal Imaging Laboratory may one day help researchers and
doctors better understand what they see on MRI scans.

The medical physics researcher's work, which focuses on the possible link between high
levels of metal in the brain and the onset of degenerative disease, could help doctors
better diagnose, prevent and treat diseases like Parkinson's.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans reveal bright spots when magnetic substances
are detected in brain tissue. MRI technology is currently the only way to effectively examine metals
in the brain, and there are limits to what it can do.

“I'm looking to develop a diagnostic tool that will allow doctors and researchers to
better understand what they're seeing on scans of living patients,” said Bock, an
assistant professor of medical physics and applied radiation sciences. “Right now we're
not able to say for certain whether a bright spot on a scan is bleeding or iron.”

Bock hopes that funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which supports
investments in state-of-the-art equipment, will help him change that.

“I'm looking at levels of biological metals that you would expect to find in a healthy
brain, as opposed to heavy metals like lead or mercury,” said Bock.

Bock says higher levels may result from occupational exposure in mines or smelters,
while lower-than-normal levels are less common but also potentially hazardous.

Clinical studies show that abnormal amounts of manganese, copper or iron in the brain
may lead to increased risk of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and multiple
sclerosis.

“We compare brain scans before and after iron exposure,” said Bock. “If the brightness
on the MRI increases by a certain percentage, we can relate this to the percentage of
iron in the brain.”

He says the experiments may allow experts to more effectively use MRI to detect levels
of certain types of metal as opposed to other substances that may show up on scans.

“Currently, we can only look at metals in the brain post-mortem, but if we're able to
change things, we can help many people who suffer from degenerative
diseases.”