MBP and neuromyelitis optica: Evaluation of MBP staining intensity in the rat spinal cord (Fig. 5b, p = 0.03) confirmed its decrease in the NMO-rats (n = 4) compared to the Control-rats (n = 5), with a marked alteration in the GM (mean decrease, 30 ± 9.9 % in the GM versus 17.4 ± 7 % in the WM).