Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is a powerful tool to study neuronal activity and microarchitecture in vivo. Yet the influence of exogenous manganese on the brain of the Parkinson’s disease (PD) model mouse is poorly understood. Laser ablation connected to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) imaging for tissue section is an ideal tool to simultaneously analyze the metabolism of endogenous metal ions. In this study, DJ-1 knockout PD model mice were subjected to an MnCl₂ saline treatment and the distribution of Mn and several other endogenous metal ions in brain regions was assessed by MEMRI and LA-ICP-MS imaging. The results demonstrated that Mn mainly deposited in subcortical regions, such as ventricles, hippocampus (HC), medial preoptic nucleus (MPO), lateral septal nucleus (LS), and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH). The enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) determined by MEMRI for Mn is closely related to the signal in LA-ICP-MS imaging. Significantly, the treatment of MnCl₂ disturbs the homeostasis of iron, zinc, copper, and calcium in the DJ-1 mouse, which could result in more severe symptoms of PD. Therefore, the application of MEMRI in the study of neurological disease must be made with caution.

Graphical abstract