title: Quantitative assessment of brain iron by R2* relaxometry in patients with cervical dystonia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pathophysiology of cervical dystonia is poorly understood. Increased brain iron deposition has been described in different movement disorders. Our aim was to investigate brain iron content in patients with cervical dystonia, using R2* relaxation rate, a validated MRI marker of brain iron level.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve female patients with primary focal cervical dystonia (mean age: 45.4 ± 8.0 years) and 12 age-matched healthy female subjects (mean age: 45.0 ± 8.0 years) underwent 3T MRI to obtain regional R2* relaxation rates of the thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus (GP). Regions of interest were delineated automatically on T1-weighted MRIs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  R2* values in the putamen were positively correlated with age. Patients with cervical dystonia showed elevated R2* values in the GP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study provides the first quantitative support for increased brain iron deposition in cervical dystonia. Further studies are needed to explore the implications of this finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Aschermann
authors.affiliation: MTA-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pecs, Hungary.|Pecs Diagnostic Center, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perlaki
authors.affiliation: MTA-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pecs, Hungary.|Pecs Diagnostic Center, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gergely
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.affiliation: Pecs Diagnostic Center, Pecs, Hungary.|Department of Neurosurgery, Section of Experimental Neuroimaging and Clinical Neuroradiology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Szilvia Anett
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Pecs Diagnostic Center, Pecs, Hungary.|Department of Neurosurgery, Section of Experimental Neuroimaging and Clinical Neuroradiology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bone
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Budapest, Hungary.|Department of Neurology, Bacs-Kiskun County Hospital, Kecskemet, Hungary.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bihari
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Acs
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.|MTA-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Jozsef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Janszky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komoly
authors.affiliation: Pecs Diagnostic Center, Pecs, Hungary.|Department of Neurosurgery, Section of Experimental Neuroimaging and Clinical Neuroradiology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bogner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011699:Putamen / Q000378:metabolism; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D014103:Torticollis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007501:Iron
keywords: MRI; R2* relaxation rate; cervical dystonia; iron; torticollis