Longitudinal gray matter changes of the pain matrix in patients with carbon monoxide intoxication: A voxel-based...

Carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication causes gray matter (GM) changes and headache symptom in patients with CO intoxication, but the headache-associated GM changes are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to perform a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis to investigate longitudinal GM changes of brain pain matrix in patients with CO intoxication.

This prospective study enrolled 24 patients with CO intoxication and 20 healthy controls. Whole brain high-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired in both groups and were repeated in patients at 1 week, and 1, 3, and 9 months after CO exposure. VBM was performed to detect global GM changes in patients with CO intoxication, and the automated anatomical labeling template was utilized to estimate the distribution of significant GM clusters in the brain.

GM volumes were significantly decreased mainly in the frontal and occipital lobes, including several pain-matrix regions 1 week after CO intoxication. The regions with significant GM changes further involved the central GM structures and the periaqueductal gray (pain-modulating center) at 1 and 3 months after CO intoxication, but the alterations were partially normalized in the frontal lobe and cerebellum 9 months after CO intoxication. Significant negative correlations were revealed between GM volume and duration of coma in the pain matrix regions. Moreover, five patients exhibited delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae (DNS) and had greater GM volume changes than non-DNS patients.

VBM analysis is helpful to understand the longitudinal GM changes of the pain matrix in patients with CO intoxication.