The determination of iron and other metals by INAA in Cortex, Cerebellum and Putamen of human brain and in their neuromelanins

Neuromelanin (NM) is an ubiquitary intraneuronal pigment in human brain and its abundance is probably related to neuronal vulnerability, especially in Parkinson Disease. In this and other neurodegenerative diseases an association was shown with endogenous accumulation and environmental exposure to metals. Melanins are strong metal chelators, therefore it is important to measure their content in brain regions and in their NMs. In this work the concentration of 18 elements was measured in each brain region and in the corresponding NM by instrumental neutron activation analysis.