Progressive leukoencephalopathy associated with aluminum deposits in myelin sheath.

A 20-year-old woman with progressive leukoencephalopathy developed mental and motor disabilities and fell into a coma after suffering head trauma and febrile episodes from infancy. Brain imaging showed massive abnormal signals in the white matter. The electron spectroscopic imaging of biopsied brain tissue confirmed the electron-dense deposits to be associated with aluminum accumulation in the myelin sheath.