NBIA characterizes a class of neurodegenerative diseases that feature a prominent extrapyramidal movement disorder, intellectual deterioration, and a characteristic deposition of iron in the basal ganglia. The diagnosis of NBIA is made on the basis of the combination of representative clinical features along with MR imaging evidence of iron accumulation. In many cases, confirmatory molecular ge...

Neurons, as non-dividing cells, encounter a myriad of stressful conditions throughout their lifespan. In particular, there is increasing evidence that iron progressively accumulates in the brain with age and that iron induced oxidative stress is the cause of several forms of neurodegeneration. Here, we review recent evidence that gives support to the following notions: 1) neuronal iron accumula...

Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA) is a rare type of neuroaxonal dystrophy that can be familial or sporadic, characterized by progressive extrapyramidal degeneration. We report a case of 23 year old male who presented with cervical dystonia, dysarthria and MRI brain suggestive of characteristic "eye-of-the-tiger" appearance in the globus pallidus.

Our understanding of the syndromes of Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA) continues to grow considerably. In addition to the core syndromes of pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN, NBIA1) and PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN, NBIA2), several other genetic causes have been identified (including FA2H, C19orf12, ATP13A2, CP and FTL). In parallel, the cl...

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation is a group of disorders, the commonest of which is PKAN (Pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration). We present here, a case of 18 year old boy with progressive dementia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal involvement, dysarthria, seizures and myoclonus. The patient was diagnosed as PKAN (formerly Hallervorden Spatz disease) after "eye of tiger" a...

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) describes a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterised by high brain iron and the presence of axonal spheroids, usually limited to the central nervous system. Mutations in the PANK2 gene account for the majority of NBIA cases and cause an autosomal recessive inborn error of coenzyme A metabolism called pantothenate kinase...

We report the development of an international registry for Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA), in the context of TIRCON (Treat Iron-Related Childhood-Onset Neurodegeneration), an EU-FP7 - funded project. This registry aims to combine scattered resources, integrate clinical and scientific knowledge, and generate a rich source for future research studies. This paper describes t...

A 55-year-old African Canadian man with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse presented with diabetic ketoacidosis. Progressive cognitive decline over the previous 5 years resulted in long-term care placement. Aside from pigmentary retinopathy, general examination was unremarkable. MRI demonstrated iron accumulation in the brain (figure 1) and liver (figure 2A). Ceruloplasmin, a...

Perturbation of iron distribution is observed in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, but the comprehension of the metal role in the development and progression of such disorders is still very limited. The combination of more powerful brain imaging techniques and faster genomic DNA sequencing procedures has allowed the description of a set of genetic ...

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder with extrapyramidal and cognitive clinical symptoms characterized by iron accumulation predominantly in the globus pallidus, cs well as extensive axonal spheroids in various regions of the brain. Recent studies indicate multiple genetic causes, however the illness can occur without obvious ge...