Readers of this page know that iron is present in higher than normal levels in the gray matter of the MS brain, and that it makes a good biomarker for MS disability and progression.  We've discussed the research of Drs. Haacke, Ge, Bakshi, and Zivadinov in this area, and their utilization of susceptablity weighted imaging MRI (SWI)

Here are my notes from Dr. Haacke's mind-blowing presentation on iron in the MS brain, from the Bologna conference in 2009--this is the lecture that made me a believer---where he states that following iron levels in the MS brain is a potential biomarker for disease progression.

link to note

That's why it was interesting to read that neurological researchers in Alberta are claiming to have "discovered" this new biomarker.  They state that no other tests have been able to "quantify or measure iron in living brain tissue."  Really?

Here's the press release.  I find it more than odd.  Yes, their's is a new technique, utilizing a high powered MRI, rather than SWI...but the information is not new.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-powerful-mri-track-iron-brain.html

The principal investigator is Gregg Blevins, a neuroimmunologist at the University of Alberta.  He has participated in many MS drug studies.  This particular study was funded by the CIHR and the Canadian MS Society.

Perhaps, now that it is becoming more and more clear that iron is involved in MS progression, and that the higher iron levels found in gray matter are linked to disability,  we will see attempts to qualify this iron as "absolutely NOT from blood products."  

The press release above ends with this curious statement....

This discovery is not a confirmation of CCSVI because the discovery looks at iron existing in brain tissue, not iron from the blood."

Thou doth protest too much, Alberta.   

Why would these researchers make this distinction?  Because they know what comes next. 

Here's the deal.  If you want to know about iron in an MS brain, and where it comes from, wouldn't you use autopsied tissue, instead of just asserting it's NOT from the blood?  That's how Rindfleisch first noted the enlarged vein at the center of each lesion way back in 1863 and made his statement that MS was a disease of venous congestion.  Studying the actual tissue can provide answers that imaging cannot.

Here are a few studies that have done just that...they studied the real tissue from MS brains, to find out where the iron came from....and this is what they discovered.  It looks like iron in the brain could come from damaged veins and microhemorrages.

Perivascular iron deposition and other vascular damage in multiple sclerosis.

Adams CW

Evidence of damage to cerebral vein walls was sought in 70 cases of multiple sclerosis. Seventy control cases were also examined. The multiple sclerosis cases showed venous intramural fibrinoid deposition (7%), recent haemorrhages (17%), old haemorrhages revealed by haemosiderin deposition (30%), thrombosis (6%) and thickened veins (19%). In all, 41% of all multiple sclerosis cases showed some evidence of vein damage. Occasional control cases showed haemosiderin deposition in the brain but, unlike the multiple sclerosis cases, these were diffuse and almost entirely related to coexistent cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease. Haemosiderin deposition was common in the substantia nigra and other pigmented nuclei in all cases. It is concluded that the cerebral vein wall in multiple sclerosis is subject to chronic inflammatory damage, which promotes haemorrhage and increased permeability, and constitutes a form of vasculitis.

Iron deposits surrounding multiple sclerosis plaques.

Craelius W, Migdal MW, Luessenhop CP, Sugar A, Mihalakis I.

Autopsy samples from cerebral areas of five brains from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and from six control brains were stained with Perls acid ferrocyanide to detect nonheme iron present as hemosiderin. Positive iron reactions were observed only in MS sections surrounding demyelinated plaques. Myelinated white matter near the lesion contained numerous iron-laden ovoid bodied and axons that stained positively for iron. Positive reactions were also found within blood vessels of gray matter near the lesion. A possible source of the iron was extravasated blood.

Iron deposits and multiple sclerosis.

Walton JC, Kaufmann JC.

A recent publication described autopsy samples from five brains in which positive staining for iron was observed as surrounding demyelinated plaques. Because this has not been previously reported, autopsy material from 13 patients who were being followed up at the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Clinic, University Hospital, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, was reviewed. A total of 32 paraffin-embedded blocks containing demyelinated plaques of varying age were sectioned and stained using a standard acid ferrocyanide technique (Peris' test) for iron. Microscopic examination failed to detect the presence of significant positive staining either within or surrounding the areas of demyelination. Positive histochemical staining for iron identifies hemosiderin, the presence of which suggests either iron overload or remote hemorrhage. Support for these two processes in the pathogenesis of MS could not be provided from our material.