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Review
. 2019 Mar 5:7:115.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00115. eCollection 2019.

Analysis of Trace Elements in Human Brain: Its Aim, Methods, and Concentration Levels

Cezary Grochowski  1   2 , Eliza Blicharska  3 , Paweł Krukow  4 , Kamil Jonak  5   6 , Marcin Maciejewski  7 , Dariusz Szczepanek  2 , Katarzyna Jonak  8 , Jolanta Flieger  3 , Ryszard Maciejewski  1
Affiliations
Review

Analysis of Trace Elements in Human Brain: Its Aim, Methods, and Concentration Levels

Cezary Grochowski et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

Trace elements play a crucial role in many biochemical processes, mainly as components of vitamins and enzymes. Although small amounts of metal ions have protective properties, excess metal levels result in oxidative injury, which is why metal ion homeostasis is crucial for the proper functioning of the brain. The changes of their level in the brain have been proven to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases, as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therefore, it is currently an important application of various analytical methods. This review covers the most important of them: inductively coupled ground mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), flame-induced atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), optical emission spectrometry with excitation in inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and neutron activation analysis (NAA). Additionally, we present a summary of concentration values found by different research groups.

Keywords: brain tissue; metal concentrations; post mortem material; spectroscopy; trace element distribution.

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