Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jun 2009
Comparative StudyDecreased gray matter volumes in the cingulo-frontal cortex and the amygdala in patients with fibromyalgia.
Studies in fibromyalgia syndrome with functional neuroimaging support the hypothesis of central pain augmentation. To determine whether structural changes in areas of the pain system are additional preconditions for the central sensitization in fibromyalgia we performed voxel based morphometry in patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. ⋯ Our results suggest that structural changes in the pain system are associated with fibromyalgia. As disease factors do not correlate with reduced gray matter volume in areas of the cingulo-frontal cortex and the amygdala in patients, one possible interpretation is that volume reductions might be a precondition for central sensitization in fibromyalgia.