Are hypothyroidism and iron deficiency precursor cell diseases?

It is neither known why hormonal and nutritional deficiencies only cause neurological abnormalities at particular periods of development, nor is it known why repair only occurs if normal metabolic status is restored within a particular temporal window. We propose that these maladies are precursor cell diseases, in which the normal balance between self-renewal and differentiation is compromised in dividing precursor cells. According to this hypothesis, the windows of vulnerability in these disorders correspond to the timing of particular transitions in CNS precursor cells, as seen in our studies on the effects of thyroid hormone and iron on the generation of oligodendrocytes and their immediate ancestor, the O-2A progenitor cell. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel