Establishment of a new disease entity as astrocytopathy, and studies on the pathogenesis and treatment for neuromyelitis optica

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22229008
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: International University of Health and Welfare (2014); National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (2010-2013)
• Principal Investigator: ITOYAMA Yasuto 国際医療福祉大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 教授 (30136428)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUJIHARA Kazuo 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (70280873) ; NAKASHIMA Ichiro 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (50333810) ; MISU Tatsuro 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 助教 (00396491)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 視神経脊髄炎 / アクアポリン4抗体 / アストロサイトパチー / 多発性硬化症 / 脱髄疾患

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We clarified the clinical and laboratory features of aquaporin (AQP) 4-antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica (NMO), and contributed to the new international consensus diagnostic criteria of NMO Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD), a wider clinical entity of NMO. We also revealed that AQP4-antibody-positve NMOSD is not a demyelinating disease like multiple sclerosis but an autoimmune astrocytopathic disease. Moreover, we discovered that a fraction of AQP4-antibody-negative NMOSD are positive for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-antibody and those cases have some unique clinical features. Importantly, unlike AQP4-antibody-positive NMOSD, MOG-antibody-positive NMOSD appears to be a demyelinating disease.

Free Research Field

神経内科学