In the brain lesions of patients with NMO, CD68+ macrophages and microglia expressed intense immunoreactivities for interferon gamma-inducible protein 30 (IFI30) and CD163, suggesting that severe fulminant activation of macrophage-mediated proinflammatory immune mechanism exerted a crucial role in the generation of NMO lesions [40]. This evidence concerns the gene CD163 and neuromyelitis optica.