Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40252873›Full record

ArticleNeuroImage2025

Gray matter morphology and pain-related disability in young adults with low back pain.

Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Isaac Chrisman, Kelli G Sharp, Laura M Glynn, Linda R Van Dillen, Jesse V Jacobs, Steven C Cramer

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in NeuroImage, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jo Armour SmithDepartment of Physical Therapy, Chapman University, USA. Electronic address: josmith@chapman.edu.
Rongwen TainCampus Center for Neuroimaging, University of California, Irvine, USA.
Isaac ChrismanDepartment of Physical Therapy, Chapman University, USA.
Kelli G SharpDepartment of Dance, School of Arts, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of California, Irvine, USA.
Laura M GlynnDepartment of Psychology, Chapman University, USA.
Linda R Van DillenProgram in Physical Therapy, Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA.
Jesse V JacobsRehabilitation and Movement Science, University of Vermont, USA.
Steven C CramerDept. Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles and California Rehabilitation Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

The influence of brain organization and postural behavior on progression of back pain symptoms in young adults.K01HD092612 · NICHD · CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY · PI SMITH, JO ARMOUR · 2018 to 2022
$639k
NICHD NIH HHS K01 HD092612
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Structural neuroplasticity in the brain may contribute to the persistence of low back pain (LBP) symptoms and the disability associated with them. It is not known if structural adaptations are evident early in the lifespan in young adults with LBP. This study compared gray matter in cortical sensorimotor regions in young adults with and without persistent LBP and identified gray matter and clinical predictors of pain-related disability. Eighty-two individuals with and without a history of LBP participated. Peak and average gray matter density in cortical sensorimotor regions of interest was quantified using voxel-based morphometry. Pain-related disability, pain intensity, pain duration, and pain-related fear were also assessed. Multiple linear regression was used to determine independent predictors of pain-related disability. We document significantly greater peak gray matter density in individuals with LBP in the primary somatosensory cortex, angular gyrus, and the midcingulate cortex. Pain-related disability positively correlated with average gray matter density in the posterior cingulate cortex. The most robust predictors of disability were average gray matter in the posterior cingulate, pain intensity, and pain-related fear. We demonstrate that in young adults, persistent LBP, and pain-related disability, are linked with structural differences in regions forming part of the brain network termed the pain matrix. In contrast with studies of LBP in older adults, our findings of increased rather than decreased gray matter in young adults with LBP suggest that gray matter may increase initially in response to nociceptive pain.

Indexed as

Gray MatterLow Back PainAdolescentAdultDisability EvaluationFearFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleYoung AdultDisabilityGray matterLow back painSensorimotorVoxel based morphometryYoung adults

Identifiers

PMID40252873
PMCPMC13179725

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.