Radiation therapy is an important part of the comprehensive treatment of brain tumors and one of the most effective treatment methods. However, brain injury is a serious complication. In regards to long-term brain injury caused by radiation therapy, cognitive dysfunction is the most common and serious. As the treatment of brain tumors improves, the survival time of patients with malignant brain tumors is significantly prolonged and the probability of cognitive dysfunction after radiation therapy is increased. Eliminating the delayed side effects caused by radiation therapy will significantly improve the quality of life of patients with malignant brain tumor and reduce the social burden. Therefore, the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of cognitive dysfunction after radiation therapy is of great significance. This review focuses on the pathogenesis and treatment of cognitive dysfunction after radiation therapy.

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. Despite extensive research, treatment for ischemic stroke is limited to thrombolytic therapy and symptom management. Identifying and testing new therapeutic targets is therefore critical for future clinically viable stroke therapies. Noncoding RNAs, especially microRNAs (miRNAs), are one of many classes of molecules that cause functional changes before, during, and after ischemic stroke. Current research finds that expression levels of many miRNAs are altered in the blood and brain of rodents and humans after stroke. In addition, miRNA can be regulated by external factors to improve functional outcomes after ischemic stroke. In certain studies, induction of ischemic tolerance by preconditioning (PC) also altered the levels of many miRNAs. This review focuses on miRNAs that modulate stroke-related risk factors and pathologic mechanisms of post-stroke brain injury.

Cerebrovascular disease is a disease with high morbidity, disability and mortality rates, which seriously affects the daily life of patients and is a heavy burden on families and society. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that uses the magnetic labeling of hydrogen atoms in arterial blood as tracers to noninvasively evaluate brain blood flow. ASL does not require injection of an exogenous contrast agent, and has the advantages of no radiation, simplicity and low cost. In cerebrovascular diseases, ASL can evaluate the collateral cerebrovascular circulation and abnormal perfusion of brain tissue, which can provide a reliable basis for early diagnosis and clinical decision-making. This study reviewed ASL and its application in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cerebrovascular diseases.

The main pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the extracellular deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain, which forms insoluble Aβ plaques, and tau protein hyperphosphorylation in neurons, which forms intracellular fibrillary tangles. So far, none of the drugs targeting Aβ have been successful in the treatment of AD. Some studies have shown that brain iron deposition may be one of the important factors in AD pathogenesis; the distribution of iron deposition has been found to be consistent with the distribution of Aβ senile plaques in the brain. Effectively reducing brain iron load might therefore be a good therapeutic approach to prevent and treat AD.

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common emotional disorders, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. Research has shown that iron deficiency is more common in people with emotional disorders and that these disorders can improve after taking iron supplements. Many factors can cause anxiety disorders, including external stress, genetic factors, impaired neurodevelopment, and abnormal monoamine metabolism. Studies have shown that abnormal monoamine metabolism and impaired neurodevelopment can contribute to the severity of emotional disorders. The synthesis of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) require iron as a cofactor in the synthesis of monoamine metabolism, and the release of epinephrine (E) was potentially associated with labile iron in plasma. At the same time, iron is also directly involved in myelin synthesis as a cofactor in neural development. Therefore, iron maybe involved some of the main causes of the onset of anxiety disorders.