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Updated: May 23, 2026
Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats
Published on: January 21, 2020
Posterior insular molecular changes in myofascial pain
G E Gerstner1, R H Gracely, A Deebajah
1Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University Ave., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078, USA. geger@umich.edu
Abstract:
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) include craniocervical pain conditions with unclear etiologies. Central changes are suspected; however, few neuroimaging studies of TMD exist. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) was used before and after pressure-pain testing to assess glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and choline (Cho) levels in the right and left posterior insulae of 11 individuals with myofascial TMD and 11 matched control individuals. Glu levels were significantly lower in all individuals after pain testing. Among those with TMD, left-insular Gln levels were related to reported pain, left posterior insular NAA and Cho levels were significantly higher at baseline than in control individuals, and NAA levels were significantly correlated with pain-symptom duration, suggesting adaptive changes. The results suggest that significant central cellular and molecular changes can occur in individuals with TMD.
