Department of Computer Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China.
Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Jan;37:101432. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2019.101432. Epub 2019 Oct 5.
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a disease characterised by severe relapses of optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis and it has a strong female predilection. Pain is one of the most typical symptom in NMO. However, few studies have been conducted to examine the neuropathic pain mechanism of NMO patients or gender-specific effects using magnetic resonance imaging technique. A total of 38 female patients with NMO, 28 with pain (NMOWP) and 10 without pain (NMOWoP), were classified using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI); 22 healthy females were also recruited. We used the FSL Image Registration and Segmentation Toolbox (FIRST) for subcortical region volumes quantifications, and voxel-based morphometry analysis for cortical gray matter (GM) volume, to examine the brain morphology in NMOWP patients. In addition, correlation test between structural measurements of NMO patients and clinical indexes was also performed. The results showed: 1) no significant differences in cortical GM density between the NMOWP and NMOWoP groups; 2) significantly smaller hippocampus and pallidum volumes in the NMOWP group compared with the NMOWoP group; 3) significant negative correlation between the average BPI and volumes of the accumbens nucleus and thalamus in NMO patients. These results revealed that structural abnormality exists in NMO female patients who have pain, with significant implications for our understanding of the brain morphology in NMO patients with pain.
视神经脊髓炎（NMO）是一种以严重的视神经炎和长节段横贯性脊髓炎复发为特征的疾病，且女性发病率较高。疼痛是 NMO 的最典型症状之一。然而，目前使用磁共振成像技术研究 NMO 患者的神经病理性疼痛机制或性别特异性影响的研究较少。我们共纳入 38 名女性 NMO 患者，28 名疼痛患者（NMOWP）和 10 名无疼痛患者（NMOWoP），使用Brief Pain Inventory（BPI）进行分类；还招募了 22 名健康女性作为对照组。我们使用 FSL Image Registration and Segmentation Toolbox（FIRST）进行皮质下区域体积定量，使用基于体素的形态测量学分析进行皮质灰质（GM）体积，以研究 NMOWP 患者的脑形态。此外，还对 NMO 患者的结构测量值与临床指标进行了相关性测试。结果显示：1）NMOWP 和 NMOWoP 两组间皮质 GM 密度无显著差异；2）与 NMOWoP 组相比，NMOWP 组患者的海马体和苍白球体积明显较小；3）NMO 患者的平均 BPI 与伏隔核和丘脑体积呈显著负相关。这些结果表明，疼痛的 NMO 女性患者存在结构异常，这对我们理解 NMO 疼痛患者的脑形态具有重要意义。
