Increased iron in the dentate nucleus of patients with Friedrich's ataxia.

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is the most frequently inherited ataxia. To test the hypothesis that iron is increased in the cerebellum of patients with FA, we developed a multigradient echo magnetic resonance sequence for the three-dimensional imaging of brain iron-induced contrast. Relaxation rate (R2*) values in the unaffected globus pallidus were equal in FA patients and controls, although R2* values in the dentate nucleus of patients were significantly higher, which is most likely due to increased iron.