Iron a Cause of Early Onset AD and PD: Tissue iron can promote oxidative damage. Brain iron increases with age and is abnormally elevated early in the disease process in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Higher iron levels in males may contribute to higher risk for younger-onset PD, The hemochromatosis gene is linked with a younger age at onset of AD. Ferritin iron with MRI found increases in basal ganglia in younger-onset AD and PD but not in older-onset patients. Brain ferritin iron as a risk factor for age at onset in neurodegenerative diseases. Bartzokis G, Tishler TA, Shin IS, Lu PH, Cummings JL. UCLA. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Mar;1012:224-36

Iron: Increased Iron, Zinc, Mercury Deposits: Study of 59 AD and 21 control at U Kentucky by Cornett found increases of iron and zinc in multiple areas of AD brain. Notes that Selenium is protective against Mercury with some increase in mercury in AD and in some controls. Neurotoxicol 6/98;19:339

Iron: Transferrin Receptor Concentration in Parkinson’s: Increased concentration found linked to increased death. Abnormal iron metabolism in Parkinson's Disease. Marder, Columbia U, Neurol 4/98;50:1138

Iron: Transferrin C2 Increases in AD: Variant transferrin in AD may be cause of disrupted iron and aluminum transport. Van Landeghem, Umea U, Neuroreport 1/98;9-177

Iron Generates Hydroxyl Radicals: Evidence found that iron deposits in brain may be responsible for oxidation. Smith, Case Western, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 9/97;49:9866

Iron: Increased Iron & Zinc Deposits and Decreased Copper Found: U Kentucky study. Deibel found increases of iron and zinc deposits in amygdala and hippocampus of AD pts where AD destruction is common but not in cerebellum where AD defects are not common, J Neurol Sci 11/96;143:137

Iron: Increased Magnetite Crystals: Jon Dobson, University of Keele, UK, six brain sample found that magnetite levels increased with Alzheimer's disease severity. Biology Letters (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0012) 4/9/03

Iron: Increase in Loosely/Bound Iron Found: Kala of U Manitoba found increases compared to controls in autopsy study. Int J Neurosci 96;86:263

Iron: Superficial Siderosis: Found 9 cases of SS in 8800 MRI pts. Symptoms are cerebellar ataxia, myopathy, dementia, and hearing loss although none had full symptoms and only two had clear SS syndrome. Graz, Neuroradiol 5/96

Iron: Psychiatric Illness Caused by Iron: Seven patients with abnormal ferritin, transferrin saturation index, or urinary iron treated for 7-22 weeks with desferrixamine with improvement. Cutler, Can J Psychiatry 2/98;39:8-11

Iron: Desferrioxamine Helps Slow: BID injections 125 mg. IM five days a week slowed progression of AD and lowered brain aluminum to control levels. Specific to trivalent. Single-blind study with lecithin placebo. McLachlan, U Toronto, Ther Drug Monit 12/93 15:602

Iron: Deferoxmine Helps Slow: Treatment group had 50% slower progression and no deaths in 2 yr vs. 5 deaths in no Rx group. However, 5 of 25 in Rx groups developed anorexia. Pts with high MAO metabolite MFO-1 concentration in urine at greater risk. If high level found, recommend isoniazid or other MAOI. Kruck, U Toronto, Clin Pharmacol Ther ’93;53:30. Isoniazid used to decrease MFO-1 which fell from 81% to 8% while MFO-2 increase from 2% to 24% and big jump in unmetabolized deferoxamine from 17% to 68%. S-E disappeared and regained weight. Anorexia and wt loss only S-E. Kruck, U Toronto, Clin Pharmacol Ther 10/90;48:439

Thomas E. Radecki, M.D., J.D.

modern-psychiatry.com

Email: [email protected]