Mapping of iron deposition in conjunction with assessment of nerve fiber tract integrity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Purpose: To test if and where increased iron accumulation occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by quantitative mapping of iron deposition and to relate these findings to white matter tract degeneration assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients with ALS and 15 age- and gender-matched controls underwent MRI of the brain to obtain R(2)* relaxation rate and DTI measurements, focusing on the corticospinal tract (CST) and on deep gray matter structures, using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).

Results: Compared with controls, ALS patients showed reduced fractional anisotropy values along the mesencephalic CST, suggesting disintegration of fiber tracts.