Vince
Super Moderator
Excess iron in the brain is thought to be a contributing factor to PD and is known to damage the brain. Iron increases in the brain with age, but even more so in PD. Symptoms of too much iron in the brain include progressive dystonia (a movement disorder resulting in muscular spasms, twisting, and repetitive movements) spasticity, parkinsonism (slurred or slow speech, stiffness of the muscles, slow movement, and visible tremors), inability to coordinate movements (ataxia), neuropsychiatric abnormalities (confusion, disorientation, seizures, stupor, dementia), and eye problems, such as optic atrophy or retinal degeneration. Cerebellar atrophy is common in many cases as discussed in the following article :
rarediseases.info.nih.gov
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of inherited neurologic disorders in which iron accumulates in the basal ganglia. Symptoms include progressive dystonia (a movement disorder resulting in muscular spasms, twisting, and repetitive movements) spasticity, parkinsonism (slurred or slow speech, stiffness of the muscles, slow movement, and visible tremors), inability to coordinate movements (ataxia), neuropsychiatric abnormalities (confusion, disorientation, seizures, stupor, dementia), and eye problems, such as optic atrophy or retinal degeneration. Cerebellar atrophy is common in many cases. '
The following meta analysis illustrates that iron levels are higher in the brain of PwP :
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
In this first study melatonin is shown to have protective effects against the damage caused by iron overload :
www.sciencedirect.com
Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation | About the Disease | GARD
Find symptoms and other information about Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of inherited neurologic disorders in which iron accumulates in the basal ganglia. Symptoms include progressive dystonia (a movement disorder resulting in muscular spasms, twisting, and repetitive movements) spasticity, parkinsonism (slurred or slow speech, stiffness of the muscles, slow movement, and visible tremors), inability to coordinate movements (ataxia), neuropsychiatric abnormalities (confusion, disorientation, seizures, stupor, dementia), and eye problems, such as optic atrophy or retinal degeneration. Cerebellar atrophy is common in many cases. '
The following meta analysis illustrates that iron levels are higher in the brain of PwP :
Meta-analysis of brain iron levels of Parkinson’s disease patients determined by postmortem and MRI measurements - PMC
Brain iron levels in patients of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are usually measured in postmortem samples or by MRI imaging including R2* and SWI. In this study we performed a meta-analysis to understand PD-associated iron changes in various brain ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
In this first study melatonin is shown to have protective effects against the damage caused by iron overload :
Melatonin: Potential avenue for treating iron overload disorders
Iron overload as a highly risk factor, can be found in almost all human chronic and common diseases. Iron chelators are often used to treat iron overl…
www.sciencedirect.com
