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Iron accumulation in multiple sclerosis: an early pathogenic event

Steven M LeVine1, Mehmet Bilgen, Sharon G Lynch

  • 1Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. slevine@kumc.edu.

Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|March 2, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Iron accumulation in the brain is detectable early in multiple sclerosis (MS), even in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). This early iron deposition in deep gray matter suggests it

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Iron accumulation in deep gray matter is observed in multiple sclerosis (MS).
  • Early detection of iron deposition in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), an early MS stage, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess early iron deposition in the brain of patients with CIS.
  • To investigate the presence of iron accumulation in deep gray matter structures during the early stages of MS.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized 7 Tesla (7 T) MRI scanning.
  • Employed susceptibility mapping techniques.
  • Compared iron deposition in CIS patients versus healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • Increased susceptibility, indicative of iron deposition, was found in the globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, and pulvinar.
  • These findings were observed in CIS patients compared to control subjects.

Conclusions:

  • Iron deposition is an early pathological change in the development of multiple sclerosis.
  • Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and role of iron accumulation in MS pathogenesis.

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