Cerebral White Matter is Disrupted for Individuals with Chronic Pain

Individuals who suffer from chronic pain experience major changes to the structure of their brain.

 

A new study examined 30 individuals with chronic pain using an MRI machine and compared their brain patterns to 30 normal, pain-free controls. The researchers found crucial alterations in areas such as the middle and inferior frontal gyrus, corpus callosum, corona radiata, precentral gyrus, external capsule, and posterior thalamic radiation. Furthermore, a correlation was found between the white matter integrity and the degree of pain that subjects were experiencing.

 

Conclusions

This study shows how individuals with “central sensitization” can experience long-lasting problems that negatively alter the way their body processes pain.

 

References

Van Riper, S. M., Alexander, A. L., Koltyn, K. F., Stegner, A. J., Ellingson, L. D., Destiche, D. J., … & Cook, D. B. (2017). Cerebral white matter structure is disrupted in Gulf War Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain158(12), 2364-2375.