Biological metals like iron, copper and zinc are nutritionally essential to certain biological processes in the brain but in high levels have been associated with certain diseases. Iron deposits, for example, have been thought to play a role in the pathology of multiple sclerosis. What's not known is whether deposits of certain metals are a cause or consequence of disease.
New imaging research from Canada's Western University helps to answer that question.
The study, led by Ravi Menon of the Robarts Research Institute, found iron deposits in deep gray matter, the darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord that contains neural cell bodies. The finding suggests that iron begins to accumulate early in the disease course rather than in later stages of disease progression.
Using MRI technology, Menon and his team scanned 22 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which is classified as a single clinical attack. CIS can be a precursor to MS, but not all patients who have such an incident will develop the disease; some may eventually be diagnosed with another disease. The investigators found that iron deposits in the CIS group were much higher than in control groups. The MRIs also showed subtle damage to the brain's white matter even at this early stage.
Menon hopes his findings will eventually help doctors diagnosis MS earlier. The research could also provide drug discovery scientists with a new approach for therapeutics to treat MS.
- read the press release