Subtle changes of gray matter volume in fibromyalgia reflect chronic musculoskeletal pain rather than...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Radiology

Background:

• Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition.
• Previous neuroimaging studies suggest altered gray matter volume (GMV) in FMS.
• These changes may also occur in other chronic pain conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the disease specificity of GMV alterations in FMS.
• To directly compare GMV changes in FMS patients with healthy controls and osteoarthritis patients.

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI scans were acquired from 25 female FMS patients, 21 healthy controls, and 23 osteoarthritis patients.
• Voxel-based morphometry and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses were used to compare regional GMVs.
• Statistical analyses were performed using both conservative and liberal approaches.

Main Results:

• With conservative statistical correction, no significant GMV differences were found between FMS or osteoarthritis patients and healthy controls.
• Using a more liberal approach, both FMS and osteoarthritis groups showed increased GMV in the precentral gyrus and decreased GMV in the angular/middle occipital and middle temporal gyri compared to controls.
• No significant differences in these GMV changes were detected between the FMS and osteoarthritis groups.

Conclusions:

• Cortical GMV changes in FMS are not specific to the condition.
• Observed GMV alterations likely reflect generalized changes associated with chronic pain.
• This study confirms that brain structural changes in FMS may be indicative of chronic pain rather than the specific disease.