The cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a 12-year-old child with a clinic presentation suggestive of Hallervorden-Spatz disease (HSD) is described. Progressive dystonia, dysarthria and pyramidal signs were present for 2 years. The presence of both increased and decreased signals in globus pallidus was consistent with the pathology of the disease: loss of myelin and increased iron deposition in the basal ganglia.