Fibromyalgia Brain – Brain Loss in Elderly – but Growth in Younger

Brain loss with Fibromyalgia (FM) is well known in elderly. What is new is the finding of brain growth in younger subjects –  in Insula and basal ganglia – perhaps in attempt to control pain.

Neuroimage Clin. 2013 Sep 6;3:249-260.
Fibromyalgia interacts with age to change the brain.
Ceko M, Bushnell MC, Fitzcharles MA, Schweinhardt P.
from McGill, Canada
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814958/pdf/main.pdf

  • “Older patients showed exclusively decreased gray matter, accompanied by compromised white matter integrity.” – losses in Anterior Cingulate gyrus correlated with increases in pain sensitivity.
  • Younger had gray matter hypertrophy in basal ganglion and insula thought adaptive “recruitment of endogenous pain modulatory mechanisms”

Comment – one study suggested it was mostly in depressed FM patients that brain loss was evident.  Now it look like elderly are more susceptible.

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