High levels of labile iron have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s before. Similarly, copper is another mineral typically shielded safely in a protein, yet thoroughly capable of making a mess of our brains in labile form.
Set aside every scrap of iron inside a human body and you might have enough to fashion a nail or two. As for copper, you’d be lucky to extract just enough to make a small earring.
Scarce as they are, these two metals are necessary for our survival, playing essential roles in human growth and metabolism. But one place we wouldn’t expect to find either is clumped inside our brain cells.
However, for people with the neurodegenerative disorder Alzheimer’s disease, something seems to be turning these elements into microscopic ingots.
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