title: Pain is associated with regional grey matter reduction in the general population.
abstract: Regional decreases in grey matter volume as detected by magnetic resonance imaging-based volumetry have been reported in several clinical chronic pain cohorts. Here, we used voxel-based morphometry in a nonclinical cohort to investigate whether grey matter alterations also occur in older individuals (aged 40-85 years) from the general population. Based on self-report of pain, we identified 31 pain-free controls, 45 subjects with ongoing pain (low back pain, headache, or lower extremity joint pain) who had at least moderate pain on more than 3 days/month, and 29 individuals with past pain (stopped for >12 months). Relative to controls, the ongoing pain group showed regional grey matter volume decreases, predominantly in cingulate, prefrontal, and motor/premotor regions. No grey matter volume decreases were found in the group with pain that had stopped for >12 months. These results show that pain-related grey matter volume decreases are present in individuals from the general population. The lack of morphometric anomalies in subjects with past pain supports recent evidence suggesting that pain-related grey matter changes are reversible after cessation of pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany Institute of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruscheweyh
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deppe
authors.forename: Hubertus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lohmann
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stehling
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flöel
authors.forename: Bernd E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Ringelstein
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knecht
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D057566:Self Report