• Richard E Harris and Daniel J Clauw.
• University of Michigan, Department of Anesthesiology, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, P.O. Box 385, Lobby M, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, United States. reharris@med.umich.edu
• Neurosci. Lett. 2012 Jun 29;520(2):192-6.

AbstractProton magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been used extensively in the study of various neurobiological disorders: depression, schizophrenia, autism, etc. But its application to chronic pain is relatively new. Not many studies in chronic pain have used (1)H-MRS. The unique ability of (1)H-MRS to assess both static and dynamic levels of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) gives this method a unique position in neuroscience. Emerging evidence in chronic pain suggests an elevated excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmitter ratio is present within brain regions involved in pain processing. The combination of (1)H-MRS imaging with pharmacologic interventions holds significant promise as a direct one-to-one matching of disease pathology with drug mechanism of action can be made. As such (1)H-MRS may be useful in discovery of novel compounds for chronic pain. Research in these areas may lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of these complex patients.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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