title: Grey matter changes of the pain matrix in patients with burning mouth syndrome.
abstract: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by a burning sensation in the mouth, usually in the absence of clinical and laboratory findings. Latest findings indicate that BMS could result from neuropathic trigeminal conditions. While many investigations have focused on the periphery, very few have examined possible central dysfunctions. To highlight changes of the central system of subjects with BMS, we analysed the grey matter concentration in 12 subjects using voxel-based morphometry. Data were compared with a control group (Ct). To better understand the brain mechanisms underlying BMS, the grey matter concentration of patients was also compared with those of dysgeusic patients (Dys). Dysgeusia is another oral dysfunction condition, characterized by a distorted sense of taste and accompanied by a reduced taste function. We found that a major part of the 'pain matrix' presented modifications of the grey matter concentration in subjects with BMS. Six regions out of eight were affected [anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, lobules of the cerebellum, insula/frontal operculum, inferior temporal area, primary motor cortex, dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC)]. In the anterior cingulate gyrus, the lobules of the cerebellum, the inferior temporal lobe and the DLPFC, pain intensity correlated with grey matter concentration. Dys also presented changes in grey matter concentration but in different areas of the brain. Our results suggest that a deficiency in the control of pain could in part be a cause of BMS and that BMS and dysgeusia conditions are not linked to similar structural changes in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0887-4429
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sinding
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany.|Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Anne Mari
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gransjøen
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schlumberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, William Osler Hospital (Etobicoke), Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grushka
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.|Center of Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Sacré-Cœur Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frasnelli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.|Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Preet Bano
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004408:Dysgeusia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D058748:Pain Perception
keywords: burning mouth syndrome; dysgeusia; pain; voxel-based morphometry