Pain: MRI reveals altered brain activity and anatomy in men with CP/CPPS.

摘要

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a heterogeneous pain condition that affects up to 10% of men. The etiology and disease mechanisms are poorly understood, and seem to differ markedly between patients. Features of the disease include local inflammation, endocrine involvement and voiding dysfunction. Whether specific changes occur in brain anatomy or function is not known, and has not been investigated in detail. Data from studies of other chronic pain conditions indicate that specific brain abnormalities are present, suggesting that the processing of pain is altered by persistent nociception. For their study published in the Journal of Urology, Melissa Farmer and colleagues used anatomical and functional MRI (fMRI) to examine changes in brain structure and function in response to spontaneous pelvic pain in CP/CPPS patients.