Patients with Distinct Sites of Chronic Pain have Different Brain Structures

The basic structure of most humans brains may be similar in shape and size, but what sets these organs apart from one persons to the next are the characteristics that complete an individuals personality. Yet according to a recent study, for those suffering from different types of chronic pain, brain structure may also vary as well.

When researchers Dr. Cuiping Mao and coworkers from Xi'an Jiaotong University in China investigated distinct gray matter volume reduction in multiple brain regions associated with acute pain processing, they found that grain matter atrophy critically affected the perception and modulation of chronic pain, according to a press release.

To study this, they examined gray matter volume in chronic back pain patients that encountered sites of pain using voxel-based morphometry.

Study results suggest that regional gray matter volume abnormalities for patients experiencing low back pain may be more extensive in patients suffering from upper back pain.

When researchers examined patients with low back pain, they found subcortical gray matter volume increased in the basal ganglia, which they believe may be a reflection of adaptation of neurons.

At this time, it's estimated that more than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, according to the Institute of Medicine on The National Academies, with chronic pain defined as pain from the nervous system that's triggered for weeks to months, and maybe even years. Often times, it is caused by an initial injury-possible a sprained back, serious infection or other serious disease or health problem.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Neural Regeneration Research.