Affiliations: Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, School of
Medicine and Public Health University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Carl E. Stafstrom, MD, PhD, Departments of
Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public
Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA. Tel.: +1 608 262 2154; Fax: + 1 608 263 0412;
E-mail: stafstrom@neurology.wisc.edu
Abstract: Iron plays a critical role in brain development and physiology,
cytoplasmic protein function, and mitochondrial reactions. Brain iron levels
are regulated tightly, and pathologies can result from both iron deficiency
(learning and memory deficits, neuronal and dendritic developmental
alterations, impaired myelin function, and abnormal neurotransmitter
regulation) and iron overload (free radical production and oxidative stress, as
proposed for Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases as well as rare genetic disorders
of iron accumulation). This review briefly summarizes the roles of iron in
normal and abnormal brain function, with emphasis on the developing brain, and
describes some disorders deriving from deficient or excessive iron levels.
Keywords: Iron, brain, iron deficiency, transferrin, ferritin, aceruloplasminemia
