Brain morphological alternation in chronic pain patients with neuropathic characteristics.
BACKGROUND
Neuropathic characteristics are highly involved in the development of chronic pain both physically and psychologically. However, little is known about the relationship between neuropathic characteristics and brain morphological alteration.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of chronic pain development by examining the above-mentioned relationships by voxel-based morphometry in patients with chronic pain.


METHODS
First, we assessed neuropathic characteristics using the painDETECT Questionnaire in 12 chronic pain patients. Second, to assess the gray matter volume changes by voxel-based morphometry, we conducted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. We applied multiregression analysis of these two assessment methods.


RESULTS
There were significant positive correlations between painDETECT Questionnaire scores and the gray matter volume in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and right posterior cingulate cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that neuropathic characteristics strongly affect the brain regions related to modulation of pain in patients with chronic pain and, therefore, contribute to the severity of chronic pain.
Department of Anesthesiology, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Satomi
S
Sugimine
Department of Anesthesiology, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan oginoyuichi@mac.com s-satomi@umin.ac.jp.
Yuichi
Y
Ogino
School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gunma University, Japan.
Hiroaki
H
Kawamichi
Center for Pain Management, Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Japan Department of Anesthesiology, Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
Hideaki
H
Obata
Department of Anesthesiology, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Shigeru
S
Saito
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000473:pathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Brain; anterior cingulate cortex; chronic pain; neuropathic characteristics; painDETECT Questionnaire; posterior cingulate cortex; voxel-based morphometry