Normal-Appearing Cerebellar Damage in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

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FIGURE.
Spatial distribution of the occult cerebellar cortical damage in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Different colors represent the different types of normal-appearing cerebellar damage. Red denotes cerebellar subregions with occult damage related only to spinal lesions (type 1). Dark blue represents cerebellar subregions with occult damage related only to antibodies against aquaporin-4 antibody (type 2). Orange indicates cerebellar subregions with mixed occult damage mainly related to spinal lesions (type 3). Light blue suggests cerebellar subregions with mixed occult damage mainly related to the aquaporin-4 antibody (type 4). Gray denotes cerebellar subregions without occult damage (type 5).

Table 1:

Five different types of normal-appearing cerebellar damage in NMOSD

Types of Occult Cerebellar Damage	SCI vs HC		AQP4-Ab (+) vs HC
Types of Occult Cerebellar Damage	Without Controlling for AQP4-Ab Status	Controlling for AQP4-Ab Status	Without Controlling for LSCL	Controlling for LSCL
Type 1: only related to spinal lesions	Significant or not	Significant	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant
Type 2: only related to AQP4-Ab	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant	Significant or not	Significant
Type 3: mainly related to spinal lesions	Significant	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant
Type 4: mainly related to AQP4-Ab	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant	Significant	Nonsignificant
Type 5: no cerebellar damage	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant	Nonsignificant

Table 2:

Demographics and clinical features in subjects^{^a}

	SCI	SCN	AQP4-Ab (+)	AQP4-Ab (−)	HC	P₁	P₂	P₃	P₄	P₅	P₆
No.	17	19	27	9	20	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Age (yr)	41.0 (20.5)	41.0 (15.0)	41.0 (12.0)	41.0 (28.0)	42.5 (7.5)	.297^{^b}	.428^{^b}	.827^{^b}	.336^{^b}	.390^{^a}	.565^{^b}
Sex (M/F)	3:14	4:15	2:25	5:4	7:13	.383^{^c}	.522^{^c}	.797^{^c}	.026^{^c,^d}	.422^{^c}	.006^{^c,^d}
Education (yr)	9.0 (8.0)	12.0 (3.0)	12.0 (6.0)	12.0 (3.5)	9.0 (6.3)	.517^{^b}	.095^{^b}	.076^{^b}	.570^{^b}	.594^{^b}	.667^{^b}
LSCL (VS)	3.0 (5.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.0 (5.0)	0.0 (2.5)	0.0 (0.0)	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	.218^{^b}
AQP4-Ab (+/−)	15/2	14/5	27/0	0/9	0/0	NA	NA	.271^{^c}	NA	NA	NA

Note:—VS indicates vertebral segments; +, seropositive; −, seronegative; NA, not applicable.
↵a P₁: comparison between the SCI and HC groups; P₂: comparison between the SCN and HC groups; P₃: comparison between the SCI and SCN groups; P₄: comparison between the AQP4-Ab-seropositive and HC groups; P₅: comparison between the AQP4-Ab-seronegative and HC groups; P₆: comparison between the AQP4-Ab-seropositive and -seronegative groups. Variables are presented as median (interquartile range).
↵b The P value was obtained with the Mann-Whitney U test.
↵c The P value was obtained with the χ² test.
↵d Significant.