Patients who are diagnosed with neuroferritinopathy have abnormal iron accumulation in the brain within the neurons and glia of the striatum and cerebellar cortices. Along with the accumulation of iron in the brain, neuroferritinopathy typically causes severe neuronal loss as well. Secondary symptoms may also arise. It is possible that the initial iron accumulation will cause additional neuronal damage and neuronal death. The damaged neurons may be replaced by other cells in an effort to reverse the neurodegeneration. These cells often have a higher iron content. The breakdown of the blood brain barrier may also occur due to the loss of neurons and will subsequently allow more iron to access the brain and accumulate over time.Neuroferritinopathy is mainly seen in those who have reached late adulthood and is generally seen to slowly progress throughout many decades in a lifetime with the mean age of onset being 39 years old. A loss of cognition is generally only seen with late stages of the disease. Diagnosed patients are seen to retain most of their cognitive functioning until the most progressive stages of the illness sets in. Physical symptoms
Symptoms categorized as physically visible symptoms include chorea, dystonia, spasticity, and rigidity, all physical symptoms of the body associated with movement disorders. The symptoms accompanying neuroferritinopathy affecting movement are also progressive, becoming more generalized with time. Usually during the first ten years of onset of the disease only one or two limbs are directly affected.
This observation of varying iron concentrations is a possible explanation for the correlation between movement disorders and the iron imbalance within the central nervous system. Diagnosis
Neuroferritinopathy is primarily diagnosed in older adults, specifically in adults affected by Alzheimers disease or Parkinsons disease, as iron accumulates in the brain over long periods of time. Neuroferritinopathy is diagnosed using either neuroimaging techniques, physiological tests, or genetic testing. Classification
Neuroferritinopathy was originally described with hallmark features of neurodegeneration and iron accumulation in the brain, leading it to be classified with other neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) disorders which share similar symptoms and imaging findings. Over time single-gene causes have been found for many NBIA disorders, like neuroferritinopathy. Before the availability of genetic testing, all such disorders were considered together and known as Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome, a term which is no longer used due to the Nazi party ties of the namesakes. Brain iron disorders are now divided into three categories: genetic neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, genetic systemic iron accumulation with neurologic features, and acquired diseases associated with iron excess or iron deficiency. Neuroferritinopathy is classified under the first category. Neuroferritinopathy is classified as a late-onset basal ganglia disease and is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease. Four different alleles are responsible for neuroferritinopathy. Three arise from nucleotide insertions in the ferritin light chain (FTL) polypeptide gene while the fourth arises from a missense mutation in the FTL gene. Neuroimaging
Neuroferritinopathy is most commonly diagnosed using MRI and other neuroimaging techniques.