No evidence of iron deposition in essential tremor: a susceptibility-weighted imaging study

Objective: To evaluate the role of iron deposition in subcortical nuclei of patients with essential tremor (ET). Methods: Twenty-three patients with ET underwent a standardized 3T-MRI protocol. We specifically assessed iron deposition using susceptibility-weighted angiography (SWAN) images in seven specific regions of interest (ROIs): the thalamus, putamen, globus pallidus, caudate nucleus, substantia nigra, red nucleus, and dentate nucleus. Tremor in ET patients was clinically assessed using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTM-TRS). ET patient data were compared with data obtained from 23 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and 14 healthy subjects (HS). Results: No differences in iron deposition in the seven ROIs were found between ET patients and HS. Conversely, PD patients showed increased iron deposition in the substantia nigra in comparison with both ET patients and HS. Conclusions: Our results indicate the absence of iron deposition in subcortical nuclei of ET patients, which is generally considered a marker of neurodegeneration.