Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Feb 2019
Altered Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity and Its Relation to Pain Perception in Girls With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Imaging studies in adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have shown both morphological and resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) alterations related to cortical modulation of sensory processing. Because analogous differences have not been adequately investigated in children, this study compared gray matter volume (GMV) and RS-FC between girls with IBS and healthy controls (HC) and tested the correlation between brain metrics and laboratory-based pain thresholds (Pth). ⋯ Girls with IBS had lower GMV in the PFC, basal ganglia, and aMCC, as well as altered FC between multiple brain networks, suggesting that structural changes related to IBS occur early in brain development. Girls with IBS also showed altered relationships between pain sensitivity and brain structure.