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.