A pilot study of late-onset neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder disease based on brain three-dimensional structural MRI / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the different patterns of brain structural abnormalities in patients with delayed neuromyelitis optica pedigree disease (LO-NMOSD) and its relationship with clinical neuropsychological scale score based on the quantitative analysis of three-dimensional (3D) brain structure MRI.Methods:Patients with neuromyelitis optica pedigree disease in remission (NMOSD group) who received treatment at Jilin University First Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were prospectively included and divided into LO-NMOSD subgroup and early-onset NMOSD (EO-NMOSD) subgroup according to whether the age of first onset was>50 years. Another age-and sex-matched healthy volunteers with NMOSD patients were recruited as the control group. 3D brain T 1WI and T 2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence imaging were acquired, and clinical data, neuropsychological scores of all subjects were analyzed. Total gray matter volume (GMV), cerebral gray matter fraction (GMF), cerebral white matter fraction (WMF), and cerebral white matter high signal fraction (WMHF) were obtained by quantitative analysis of MRI data using voxel-based morphology and lesion segmentation tool techniques. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the differences in brain structure between LO-NMOSD subgroup and EO-NMOSD subgroup, NMOSD group and control group. Partial correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between GMF, WMHF and patient clinical data, neuropsychological scale scores, and the correlation between WMHF and GMF, WMF. Results:There were 47 cases in the NMOSD group, including 7 males and 40 females aged 18-66 years. Among them, there were 20 cases in the LO-NMOSD subgroup and 27 cases in the EO-NMODS subgroup. The control group consisted of 50 individuals (13 males and 37 females, aged 18 to 77 years). Compared with the control group, the GMV of the right caudate nucleus in the LO-NMOSD group was reduced ( t=3.33, P<0.05), and the GMV of multiple brain regions in the bilateral frontal and temporal lobes in the EO-NMOSD group was reduced considerably (FDR corrected, P<0.05), which was consistent with the NMOSD group. After adjusting for age, there was no statistically significant difference in WMHF between the LO-NMOSD and EO-NMOSD groups ( F=0.22, P=0.644). The LO-NMOSD subgroup showed a negative correlation between global GMF and the extended disability status scale (EDSS) score ( r=-0.53, P=0.025). WMHF in the NMOSD group was positively correlated with annual recurrence rate and EDSS ( r=0.35 and 0.35, respectively, and P=0.017 and 0.018, respectively), while other indicators were not correlated ( P>0.05). The EO-NMOSD subgroup WMHF showed a negative correlation with GMF and WMF ( r=-0.76, -0.70, respectively, P<0.001). The NMOSD group showed a negative correlation between WMHF and GMF, WMF ( r=-0.38, -0.55, respectively, P<0.05). There was no correlation between WMHF and GMF, WMF in the LO-NMOSD subgroup ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The extent and location of gray matter atrophy in patients with LO-NMOSD are different from those of EO-NMOSD. The correlation between WMHF and brain structural changes and clinical data is different between the two groups of patients. These suggest that LO-NMOSD patients may have different patterns of brain structural damage.