Gray Matter Abnormalities in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies

Ma, Teng; Li, Ze‐Yang; Yu, Ying; Yang, Yang; Ni, Min-Hua; Xie, Hao; Wang, Wen; Huang, Yu-Xiang; Li, Jinlian; Cui, Guang-Bin; Yan, Lin‐Feng

doi:10.3390/brainsci12081115

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…A voxel-based morphometry meta-analysis performed by Ma et al [25], contrary to certain observations in previous studies, there was an increase in the gray matter volume (GMV) in the medial left superior frontal gyrus (SFGmedial) and left striatum but reduced GMV in the corpus callosum. The GMV changes in SFGmedial were inversely related to the disease duration.…”

Section: Studying Effects Of Crps On Emotional and Autonomic Regions ...contrasting

confidence: 63%

Imaging Modalities and Their Findings in Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review

Tangella¹

2023

Cureus

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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a systemic or regional pain pathology associated with the nondermatomal or dermatomal distribution of excruciating intolerable pain, which might be triggered by an insignificant or weak stimulus or sometimes without any. Its symptoms encompass neurological, musculoskeletal, dermatological, and vascular realms. It is usually preceded by an episode of nerve injury or intervention set in numerous circumstances ranging from trauma to surgeries to chronic diseases. CRPS has been shrouded in a veil of mystery and was called a psychological phenomenon without any proper organic basis when it was described by Ambroise Pare initially. This led to disproportionately fewer research investments into this disease. Given the great advancement of diagnostic modalities since its inception, researchers and physicians have been trying to identify the physiological basis for it and have succeeded. Numerous pathophysiological pathways have been involved in this disease, but all of them point toward the possibility of improper pain processing at various levels of the pain pathway along with brain plasticity leading to aberrant neuronal circuitry between different segments of the sensory cortex, basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and insula. This paper explores the various studies done to evaluate the role of different imaging modalities, ranging from three-phase bone scintigraphy (TPBS) to diffusion traction imaging (DTI).

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Section: Studying Effects Of Crps On Emotional and Autonomic Regions ...contrasting

confidence: 63%

Imaging Modalities and Their Findings in Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review

Tangella¹

2023

Cureus

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“…Thalamus atrophy has been shown in various chronic pain conditions in prior investigations. Previous research studies have also shown that the thalamus anatomy was associated with neuropathic pain, and the level of atrophy was correlated with pain intensity in chronic pain patients (47)(48)(49)). An explanation for the atrophy of the gray matter in the thalamus could be the overactivation caused by excitotoxins and inflammatory agents (50-52).…”

Section: Brain Regionsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Deficits in the thalamocortical pathway associated with hypersensitivity to pain in patients with frozen shoulder

Zhao

et al. 2023

Front. Neurol.

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Background and purposeFrozen shoulder (FS) is a chronic pain condition and has been shown to be associated with pain sensitization. However, the underyling brain mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we aimed to explore brain alterations and their association with pain sensitization in patients with FS.Materials and methodsA total of 54 FS patients and 52 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. Here, we applied both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate brain abnormalities in FS patients. Voxel-wise comparisons were performed to reveal the differences in the gray matter volume (GMV) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) between FS patients and HCs. Furthermore, the region of interest (ROI) to whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was calculated and compared between groups. Finally, Pearson's correlation coefficients were computed to reveal the association between clinical data and brain alterations.ResultsFour main findings were observed: (1) FS patients exhibited decreased thalamus GMV, which correlated with pain intensity and pain threshold; (2) relative to HCs, FS patients exhibited a higher level of ALFF within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the thalamus; (3) FS patients exhibited a significant increase in Tha-S1 FC compared to HCs; and (4) the effect of thalamus GMV on pain intensity was mediated by pain threshold in FS patients.ConclusionThe dysfunctional thalamus might induce pain hypersensitivity, which further aggravates the pain in FS patients.

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“…One common measure in this context is the thickness and/or volume of brain grey matter in different brain regions, which can be estimated using standard MRI analyses techniques. Most commonly, reduced thickness of grey matter in certain brain regions, such as frontal areas, anterior cingulate cortex, and the insula, has been described in chronic pain compared to healthy controls (Ma et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2022). However, the exact relationship of grey matter thickness/volume and the perception of pain and the development and maintenance of chronic pain remains unclear.…”

Section: Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of the Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring pain and nociception: Through the glasses of a computational scientist. Transdisciplinary overview of methods

Kutafina

Becker²,

Namer³

2023

Front. Netw. Physiol.

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In a healthy state, pain plays an important role in natural biofeedback loops and helps to detect and prevent potentially harmful stimuli and situations. However, pain can become chronic and as such a pathological condition, losing its informative and adaptive function. Efficient pain treatment remains a largely unmet clinical need. One promising route to improve the characterization of pain, and with that the potential for more effective pain therapies, is the integration of different data modalities through cutting edge computational methods. Using these methods, multiscale, complex, and network models of pain signaling can be created and utilized for the benefit of patients. Such models require collaborative work of experts from different research domains such as medicine, biology, physiology, psychology as well as mathematics and data science. Efficient work of collaborative teams requires developing of a common language and common level of understanding as a prerequisite. One of ways to meet this need is to provide easy to comprehend overviews of certain topics within the pain research domain. Here, we propose such an overview on the topic of pain assessment in humans for computational researchers. Quantifications related to pain are necessary for building computational models. However, as defined by the International Association of the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is a sensory and emotional experience and thus, it cannot be measured and quantified objectively. This results in a need for clear distinctions between nociception, pain and correlates of pain. Therefore, here we review methods to assess pain as a percept and nociception as a biological basis for this percept in humans, with the goal of creating a roadmap of modelling options.

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Gray Matter Abnormalities in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies

Cited by 5 publications

References 53 publications

Imaging Modalities and Their Findings in Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review

Imaging Modalities and Their Findings in Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review

Deficits in the thalamocortical pathway associated with hypersensitivity to pain in patients with frozen shoulder

Measuring pain and nociception: Through the glasses of a computational scientist. Transdisciplinary overview of methods

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