Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2023, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (11): 2520-2525.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.371371

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Correlation between cerebral cortex changes and clinical features in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder with normal-appearing brain tissue: a case-control study

Chuxin Huang1, 2, Yanyu Li1, Yanjing Chen1, Xuan Liao3, Huiting Zhang4, Zhiyuan Wang5, *, Jun Liu1, 6, *, Wei Lu2, *   

  1. 1Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China; 2Department of Neurology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China; 3Department of Radiology, Wuhan No.1 Hospital, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China; 4MR Scientific Marketing, Siemens Healthineers Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei Province, China; 5Department of Medical Ultrasound, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China; 6Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
  • Online:2023-11-15 Published:2023-05-05
  • Contact: Zhiyuan Wang, PhD, wangzhiyuan@hnca.org.cn; Jun Liu, PhD, junliu123@csu.edu.cn; Wei Lu, PhD, luwei0338@csu.edu.cn.
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hunan Province, No. 2020SK4001; the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province, No. 2021RC4016; and the Accurate Localization Study of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Based on Deep Learning Through Multimodal Image and Neural Network, No. 2021gfcx05 (all to JL).

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Abstract: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. However, whether and how cortical changes occur in NMOSD with normal-appearing brain tissue, or whether any cortical changes correlate with clinical characteristics, is not completely clear. The current study recruited 43 patients with NMOSD who had normal-appearing brain tissue and 45 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and educational background from December 2020 to February 2022. A surface-based morphological analysis of high-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance images was used to calculate the cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and gyrification index. Analysis showed that cortical thickness in the bilateral rostral middle frontal gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus was lower in the patients with NMOSD than in the control participants. Subgroup analysis of the patients with NMOSD indicated that compared with those who did not have any optic neuritis episodes, those who did have such episodes exhibited noticeably thinner cortex in the bilateral cuneus, superior parietal cortex, and pericalcarine cortex. Correlation analysis indicated that cortical thickness in the bilateral rostral middle frontal gyrus was positively correlated with scores on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test and negatively correlated with scores on the Trail Making Test and the Expanded Disability Status Scale. These results are evidence that cortical thinning of the bilateral regional frontal cortex occurs in patients with NMOSD who have normal-appearing brain tissue, and that the degree of thinning is correlated with clinical disability and cognitive function. These findings will help improve our understanding of the imaging characteristics in NMOSD and their potential clinical significance.

Key words: cognitive function, cortical thickness, Expanded Disability Status Scale, gyrification, magnetic resonance imaging, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, normal-appearing brain tissue, rostral middle frontal gyrus, sulcal depth, superior frontal gyrus