Presence of zinc, aluminum, magnesium in striopalledodentate (SPD) calcifications (Fahr's disease): electron probe study.

SPD calcifications from four cases of Fahr's disease were studied with an electron microprobe of Castaing, and found to contain different elements, among them Zn, Al, Mg. The presence of the elements is underlined not because of presumption as to their importance on the pathogenesis of this disease, but because of their rare identification in cerebral calcifications. A1 and Mg have been localized previously in cerebral calcification, but this is the first report of morphological localization of a high concentration of zinc in the brain. Two of these cases had hypoparathyroidism.