summary: Multiple sclerosis has been traditionally considered as an inflammatory-demyelinating disease of the central nervous system especially affecting the white matter. The presence of iron in the brain has been also shown to play a role in the disease. The authors aimed to investigate the presence of iron in the brain of people with MS, by means of a new MRI technique. They found that the accumulation of iron seemed to be especially relevant in the grey matter, mainly in the grey matter from deep regions of the brain (basal ganglia), and that this accumulation was greater in people with longer disease duration and grey matter tissue loss, supporting a relationship between iron deposition and the evolution of the disease. Though further studies need to be done regarding the role of iron deposition, the authors suggested that this could be contributing to the appearance of the progressive phase of the disease.

authors: Khalil M, Enzinger C, Langkammer C, Tscherner M, Wallner-Blazek M, Jehna M, Ropele S, Fuchs S, Fazekas F

source: Mult Scler. 2009 Jun 25

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