RESEARCH - Fibromyalgia brains have abnormal activity in pain areas

[Guest guest]

Fibromyalgia brains have abnormal activity in pain areas

Rheumawire

Nov 16, 2005

Janis

San Diego, CA - Magnetic-resonance (MR) spectroscopy shows that the brains

of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are abnormally active in several areas

associated with the processing of pain signals [1].

" These data suggest that there are regional abnormalities in the

concentrations of several metabolites in people with fibromyalgia, many of

which occur in regions of the brain involved in pain processing. Such

abnormalities have previously been noted in other chronic-pain conditions,

such as low back pain, " Dr Myria Petrou (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

reported in a poster presentation at the 2005 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific

Meeting.

The purpose of the study was to compare concentrations and ratios of

metabolites in gray- and white-matter brain regions in FM patients and

healthy controls. Petrou and colleagues conducted 2D-chemical-shift-imaging

(CSI) MR spectroscopic examinations on 18 fibromyalgia patients and 19

normal healthy control subjects. Baseline assessment included self-report

questionnaires, standard laboratory tests, and pain-pressure testing. This

is the first reported use of proton spectroscopy in FM.

The volume of interest (VOI) was primarily at the level of the basal

ganglia. A secondary VOI was in the periventricular white matter in the

centrum semiovale. Within these large VOIs, the researchers manually placed

smaller voxels (1x1x1 cm) in the thalamus, pulvinar region, internal

capsule, frontal and parietal white matter, and occipital gray matter.

Petrou reported that the mean choline-containing compound/creatine (Cho/Cr)

ratios were significantly higher in fibromyalgia patients in the left

internal capsule, the left pulvinar/thalamic region, and the right

prefrontal subcortical region. The mean signal intensity under the

N-acetylaspartate peak was significantly lower in the right prefrontal

subcortical region.

The investigators say that these data suggest that the brains of FM patients

have regional abnormalities in the concentrations of several metabolites and

that many of these abnormalities are in regions involved in pain processing.

" Such abnormalities have previously been noted in other chronic pain

conditions, such as low back pain, " Petrou noted.

Source

1. McLean SA, Petrou M, Foerster B, et al. Two D-CSI MR

spectroscopy in the evaluation of fibromyalgia patients. A prospective study

comparing fibromyalgia patients with normal healthy controls. 2005 ACR/ARHP

Annual Scientific Meeting; November 12-17, 2005; San Diego, CA. Abstract

108.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org