Metabolite Concentrations in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Predict High Neuropathic Pain Impact After Spinal Cord Injury.

摘要

Persistent pain is a common reason for reduced quality of life after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Biomarkers of neuropathic pain may facilitate translational research and the understanding of underlying mechanisms. Research suggests that pain and affective distress are anatomically and functionally integrated in the anterior cingulate cortex and can modulate sensory and affective aspects of pain. We hypothesized that severe neuropathic pain with a significant psychosocial impact would be associated with metabolite concentrations (obtained by magnetic resonance spectroscopy) in the anterior cingulate cortex, indicating neuronal and/or glial dysfunction. Participants with SCI and severe, high-impact neuropathic pain (SCI-HPI; n = 16), SCI and moderate, low-impact neuropathic pain (SCI-LPI; n = 24), SCI without neuropathic pain (SCInoNP; n = 14), and able-bodied, pain-free control subjects (A-B; n = 22) underwent a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging brain scan. Analyses revealed that the SCI-HPI group had significantly higher levels of myoinositol (Ins).