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Brain Iron Accumulation and Its Cognitive and Olfactory Correlates in Late-Life Depression
Liang J, Tan H, Chen Q, Liang S, Li G, Wang T, Gao P, Xu D et al.. Research Square, 2026-09-10
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with cognitive impairment, olfactory dysfunction and dementia risk, while brain iron accumulation has been linked to depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease progression. We examined whether regional brain iron accumulation is altered in patients with LLD and how it relates to cognitive, olfactory and olfactory-task fMRI measures. Among 38 patients with LLD and 42 healthy controls, the LLD group showed greater iron accumulation in the bilateral amygdala and entorhinal cortex, alongside broad cognitive impairment and poorer olfactory performance. Greater regional iron accumulation was related to worse cognitive performance, lower olfactory scores and higher olfactory-task activation, although most associations did not survive false-discovery-rate correction. Exploratory analyses suggested that odor discrimination may be involved in the iron-cognition relationship. These findings suggest that regional iron accumulation in the amygdala and entorhinal cortex may represent a candidate imaging feature of cognitive and olfactory vulnerability in LLD.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Liang, J., Tan, H., Chen, Q., Liang, S., Li, G., Wang, T., et al. (2026). Brain Iron Accumulation and Its Cognitive and Olfactory Correlates in Late-Life Depression. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10761012/v1
Vancouver
Liang J, Tan H, Chen Q, Liang S, Li G, Wang T, et al. Brain Iron Accumulation and Its Cognitive and Olfactory Correlates in Late-Life Depression. Research Square. 2026. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10761012/v1.
BibTeX
@article{liang2026-7a2f9905,
author = {Liang, J. and Tan, H. and Chen, Q. and Liang, S. and Li, G. and Wang, T. and Gao, P. and Xu, D. and others},
title = {{Brain Iron Accumulation and Its Cognitive and Olfactory Correlates in Late-Life Depression}},
journal = {Research Square},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-10761012/v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10761012/v1}
}
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Key findings
- Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with cognitive impairment, olfactory dysfunction and dementia risk, while brain iron accumulation has been linked to depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease progression.
- Exploratory analyses suggested that odor discrimination may be involved in the iron-cognition relationship.
- These findings suggest that regional iron accumulation in the amygdala and entorhinal cortex may represent a candidate imaging feature of cognitive and olfactory vulnerability in LLD.
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Study details
- Participants38
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 27 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 27 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Research Square) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 38 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 17 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 27 out of 100. |
| Total | 27 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
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