Increased iron deposition in cerebral deep gray matter has been considered a global marker for neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS); it scales with disease duration and severity. Iron accumulation in white matter and MS lesions might be more directly related to disease activity and has been discussed as a contributor to the inflammatory and neurodegenerative cascade. New insights into iron and MS are expected from MR imaging. We discuss findings from MR iron mapping proposed. Because of the confounding magnetic properties of myelin, iron mapping in white matter remains an unresolved issue.
Keywords: Biomarker; Ferritin; Iron; MR imaging; Magnetic susceptibility; Multiple sclerosis; Neurodegeneration.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.