Photo Credit: Alex Sholom
The following is a summary of “Distinct Functional Connectivity Patterns for Intermittent Vs Constant Neuropathic Pain Phenotypes in Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type 2 Patients,” published in the April 2024 issue of Pain by Pahapil et al.
Chronic low back pain (cLBP) has been constantly linked with changes in brain function connectivity (FC), with a focus on single networks and diverse populations.
Researchers conducted a prospective study investigating brain FC in a more uniform cLBP group, focusing on the relationship between cross-network (CN) connectivity and pain levels and phenotype.
They used resting brain fcMRI scans from 23 (13 constant neuropathic and 10 intermittent pain) patients over 60 months with persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS Type-2) considering spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy. Using the discovery MR750 GE scanner, CN analysis images were acquired on 7 brain networks later compared to age-matched controls, correlating connectivity with pain scores via linear regression.
The results showed that CN-FC of the emotional network (STM: striatum network index) was notably lower in all patients (P<0.003), regardless of pain phenotype. Pain severity showed a positive correlation with emotional FC for intermittent pain but a negative correlation with constant pain.
Investigators concluded that brain connections related to emotion and reward differ in patients with cLBP, especially in those with constant or intermittent pain. However, the findings suggested that fcMRI scans could help objectively measure pain levels.
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