ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2013
Brain structural and psychometric alterations in chronic low back pain.
Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 128 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neural correlates of co-occurring pain and depression: an activation-likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis and systematic review.Translational psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effective for chronic low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2020Pooled it
- The Potential Contribution of Chronic Pain and Common Chronic Pain Conditions to Subsequent Cognitive Decline, New Onset Cognitive Impairment, and Incident Dementia: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model for Future Research.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2020Pooled it
- [Chronic low back pain and psychological comorbidity : A review].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2017Pooled it
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Targeting Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Modulates Task-Induced Acute Pain in Healthy Volunteers.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2016Trial
- Article
- White matter microstructure of sensorimotor projection fibers in chronic low back pain.Pain reports · 2026Article
- Distinct Grey Matter Alterations in Untreated Mild to Moderate Chronic Low Back Pain: A Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Observational
- A cross-sectional analysis of brain structure, pain behaviors, and mental health in persons with surgically confirmed endometriosis.Communications biology · 2025Article
- The alternation of neural oscillations during dual task standing in older adults with low back pain.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2025Article
- Disrupted topological organization of brain connectome in patients with chronic low back related leg pain and clinical correlations.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Is the Central Sensitization in Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Structural Phenomenon or Psychological Reaction? A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Observational
- Finite Element Analysis of Stress Distribution and Range of Motion in Discogenic Back Pain.Neurospine · 2024Article
- Morphological changes of the limbic system associated with acute and chronic low-back pain: A UK biobank imaging study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2024Article
- Preliminary investigation of the interactive role of physiological arousal and insomnia complaints in gray matter volume alterations in chronic widespread pain.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2024Article
- Association between seated trunk control and cortical sensorimotor white matter brain changes in patients with chronic low back pain.PloS one · 2024Article
- The Alterations in the Brain Corresponding to Low Back Pain: Recent Insights and Advances.Neural plasticity · 2024Review
- Neural correlates of central pain sensitization in chronic low back pain: a resting-state fMRI study.Neuroradiology · 2023Article
- Functional Alterations of the Basal Ganglia Are Associated with Voluntary Activation of the Core Stabilizing Muscles in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study.Pain research & management · 2023Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeChronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most important pain disorders with increasing social and economic implications. Given that CLBP is a multidimensional process associated with comorbidities such as anxiety and depression, treatment of chronic low back pain is still a challenge. Advancement of in vivo brain imaging technologies has revealed increasing insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic pain; however, the exact mechanisms of chronification of LBP remain still unclear. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the neurostructural alterations in CLBP and to evaluate the role of comorbidities and their neurostructural underpinnings.
methodsIn the present study we investigated a well-characterized group of 14 patients with CLBP and 14 healthy controls applying structural MRI and psychometric measures. Using an improved algorithm for brain normalization (DARTEL) we performed a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach. Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the role of anxiety and depression in neurostructural alterations observed in CLBP.
resultsThe psychometric measures revealed significantly higher scores on depression and anxiety in the patient population. VBM analysis showed significant decreases in grey matter density in areas associated with pain processing and modulation, i.e. the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the thalamus and the middle cingulate cortex. With respect to anxiety and depression scores, we did not observe any correlations to the structural data.
conclusionsIn the present study we found compelling evidence for alterations of grey matter architecture in CLBP in brain regions playing a major role in pain modulation and control. Our results fit the hypothesis of a "brain signature" in chronic pain conditions. The results of the psychometric assessment underline the importance of an interdisciplinary therapeutic approach including orthopedic, neurological and psychological evaluation and treatment.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.