Newswise — One key symptom of fibromyalgia is persistent pain. A group from the LWL Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, explored the brain changes linked to the condition. By using MRI data, the team verified that the brain regions involved in pain processing and emotional assessment undergo modifications in patients. This affects both the size of the gray matter, primarily containing neurons, and the white matter, mainly comprising fiber connections between neurons. The researchers released their discoveries in the Arthritis Research and Therapy journal on May 19, 2023.
Professor Martin Diers and Benjamin Mosch, together with their team, analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 23 female fibromyalgia patients and 21 healthy individuals. Their objective was to investigate the size of the grey matter (nerve cells) in different pain-processing regions of the brain, as well as the white matter, primarily composed of fiber connections that transmit signals between nerve cells. "One of our aims was to determine if there are variations in the directionality of water molecule diffusion in specific brain areas, in other words, whether we can detect any regional distinctions in signal transmission," Benjamin Mosch explained.
The scientists observed alterations in the volume of grey matter primarily within the pain network of the brain, specifically in the areas accountable for pain processing and assessment. Benjamin Mosch elaborated, "We discovered a reduction in grey matter within specific regions responsible for pain inhibition in patients compared to healthy individuals. The volume of these regions was significantly diminished in patients."
Regarding signal transmission, alterations were identified in the thalamus, which is recognized as a crucial hub in neuronal pain processing. The discrepancies in white matter observed in fibromyalgia patients, in comparison to healthy controls, suggest a modified conduction of pain signals among individuals with fibromyalgia.
The researchers also examined how the structural brain changes corresponded to the perceptual and behavioral characteristics of the study participants. They found that the extent of volume decrease in specific relevant brain regions was inversely associated with the level of perceived pain reported by the patients. An intriguing observation emerged when analyzing the relationship between depressive symptoms or activity levels and the volume change in certain brain areas. The volume of the putamen, in particular, exhibited a negative correlation with the expression of depressive symptoms and a positive correlation with the activity level of the participants. Benjamin Mosch concluded, "This suggests that brain changes may not be permanent but can be influenced; in other words, they may be reversible, for example, through an active daily life."
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