Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) was first described as a severe monophasic syndrome of acute bilateral optic neuritis and transverse myelitis. Whether it is a form of multiple sclerosis (MS) or a separate disease entity has been continually debated since the beginning of last century. The redefinition of NMO as a relapsing disease, the wider use of magnetic resonance imaging showing longer spinal co...

We read with interest the article by Glasier et al, “Clinical, Neurodiagnostic, and MR Findings in Children with Spinal and Brain Stem Multiple Sclerosis” (1). In this study, five of seven children with spinal multiple sclerosis (MS) had lesions that extended over three or more segments with concomitant cord swelling. This differs from our experience as well as that of previous authors. Typical...

Optic neuritis and myelitis are manifestations in both multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO). But unlike MS, NMO is characterized by severe optic neuritis, longitudinally extensive and transverse myelitis, and the presence of aquaporin-4 antibody. Since patients with optic neuritis and myelitis have often been diagnosed with "optic-spinal MS (OSMS)" in Asia, it was obscure whet...

BACKGROUND Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used for the evaluation of the white matter integrity. In this study, we evaluated optic nerve impairment in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) using DTI. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Optic nerve DTI were performed on 28 NMO patients and 38 normal controls. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured in the anterior, middle, and p...

Background. Loss of visual function differs between immune-mediated optic neuropathies and is related to axonal loss in the optic nerve. This study investigated the diagnostic and prognostic value of a biomarker for neurodegeneration, the neurofilament heavy chain (NfH) in three immune-mediated optic neuropathies. Methods. A prospective, longitudinal study including patients with optic neuritis...

For the purpose of predicting multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) relapses in Japanese population, we evaluated the localization and age of each demyelinating attack. We retrospectively analyzed the 78 medical records of Japanese MS and NMO patients. Then we identified 49 cases of relapsing-remitting-type patients and defined each of 116 demyelinating attacks. NMO had an olde...

Recent work from our laboratory, using different models of experimental neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), has led to a number of observations that might be highly relevant for NMOSD patients. For example: (i) in the presence of neuromyelitis optica immunoglobulin G, astrocyte-destructive lesions can be initiated by CD4+ T cells when these cells recognize aquaporin 4 (AQP4), but al...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare and severe inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which constitutes up to 5% of pediatric aquired demyelinating diseases. The optic nerves and the spinal cord are the most affected sites. The discovery of an autoantibody called NMO-IgG, which targets aquaporin-4, the main water channel in the CNS, gave a new direction to understanding the ...

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune disease that usually presents with optic neuritis or severe myelitis. NMOSD can be diagnosed after only one typical clinical syndrome if immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the aquaporin-4 receptor (NMO-IgG) are present. Patients with NMOSD can develop marked spinal cord atrophy after myelitis, but it is unknown whether atrop...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease of central nervous system classically characterized by acute, severe episodes of optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, usually with a relapsing course. The identification of an autoantibody exclusively detected in NMO patients against aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) has allowed identification of cases beyond the classical phen...