Figure 2.

Spatial mapping of lesion voxel count per position from the proximal thigh (slice position 1) to ankle levels (slice position 140). The spatial predominance of the lesion voxel burden in symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN; mild/moderate or severe) is located proximally (thigh level slice positions 1–70) and is highest at this location for severe DPN. Increasing symptom severity is associated with an overall increase in the total lesion voxel burden, which is most pronounced proximally (at the thigh level, left side of the x‐axis) and less marked distally (at the ankle level, right side of the x‐axis). The differences in the proximal lesion count are significant for severe DPN (*p = 0.013) and mild‐to‐moderate DPN (**p = 0.003) compared to nondiabetic controls.