Brain, behavior, and immunity
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Nov 2016
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe translocator protein gene is associated with symptom severity and cerebral pain processing in fibromyalgia.
The translocator protein (TSPO) is upregulated during glia activation in chronic pain patients. TSPO constitutes the rate-limiting step in neurosteroid synthesis, thus modulating synaptic transmission. Related serotonergic mechanisms influence if pro- or anti-nociceptive neurosteroids are produced. ⋯ In conclusion, fibromyalgia patients with the TSPO high affinity binding genotype reported a higher pain intensity and more severe fibromyalgia symptoms compared to mixed/low affinity binders, and this was modulated by interaction with the serotonin transporter gene. To our knowledge this is the first evidence of functional genetic polymorphisms affecting pain severity in FM and our findings are in line with proposed glia-related mechanisms. Furthermore, the functional magnetic resonance findings indicated an effect of translocator protein on the affective-motivational components of pain perception.