Fibromyalgia Imaging Study Shows Unique Brain Connectivity

[osisposis]

Medscape Medical News
Fibromyalgia Imaging Study Shows Unique Brain Connectivity
Jenni Laidman
February 10, 2015

[QUOTE
A new brain imaging study reveals that patients with fibromyalgia (FM) show unique brain activity in response to pain.
The patients had increased connectivity between the primary region of the brain that recognizes touch,
the S1 somatosensory cortex, and a second region that assigns salience to stimuli, the anterior insula.

The results suggest "a neurobiological substrate for evoked pain hypersensitivity in FM," the authors report.

In the study, published online January 26 in Arthritis & Rheumatology

This paper highlights the fact that the somatosensory cortex and connectivity to the insula
related to pain administered in the study is also related to clinical pain," Dr Harris told Medscape Medical News.
"This suggests that the fMRI outcome is also related to clinical pain."
][/QUOTE]
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839524


abstract

The somatosensory link: S1 functional connectivity is altered by sustained
pain and associated with clinical/autonomic dysfunction in fibromyalgia

[QUOTE
Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that both somatic and non-somatic dysfunction in FM, including clinical pain,
pain catastrophizing, autonomic dysfunction, and amplified temporal summation, are all closely linked with the
degree to which evoked deep-tissue pain alters S1 connectivity to salience/affective pain processing regions.
Additionally, diminished connectivity between S1 subregions at REST in FM may result from ongoing
widespread clinical pain. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
][/QUOTE]

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.39043/abstract

 

[osisposis]

Fibromyalgia Pain Related To Diminished Connectivity Between Brain Areas – Study

[QUOTE
The researchers found communication impairment between thalamus and premotor areas, between the right insula
and primary sensorimotor areas, and between supramarginal and prefrontal areas in FM patients,
and sensitivity of individual subjects o painful pressure was associated with increased connectivity
between pain-related regions (for example the insula and thalamus) and midline regions of the default mode network
(including posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex) among FM patients compared with controls
][/QUOTE]

http://fibromyalgianewstoday.com/20...ed-diminished-connectivity-brain-areas-study/

 

[A.B.]

I have been wondering about this type of brain study lately: correlation or causation? Wouldn't constantly experiencing pain have some impact on the brain?

 

[adreno]

I have been wondering about this type of brain study lately: correlation or causation? Wouldn't constantly experiencing pain have some impact on the brain?

I think we cannot speak of causation at this point. All we know is that there is an association between increased levels of/sensitivity towards pain, and brain changes. So far, this is not surprising.

And yes, it is clear to me that constantly experiencing pain for prolonged periods would cause changes in the brain. OTOH, changes in the brain could likely also cause increased sensitivity to pain. But why would these changes take place in the brain without peripheral stimulation? Unless some people are somehow "hardwired" towards this from an early age.

 

[osisposis]

inhalation exposure to toxins/chemicals, VOC's, airways, nose/sinus> CNS,atomic, nerve damage
kindling,danger singals, oxidative stress, mast cells, inflammation

 

[Woolie]

I don't think this study has shown anything except that these participants have recently experienced genuine pain.

Look at this line:
"Interestingly, S1 connectivity is also sensitive to sustained experimental pain stimulation in healthy adults (5), suggesting malleable state-like properties for S1 connectivity networks"

In other words, connectivity between S1 and anterior/middle insula in response to pain stimulation is a function of how much pain you have just experienced.

I also worry that this "its all in your brain" type of hypothesis is not too far from a psychiatric account. What it essentially implies is that there's no real bodily source of the pain, and its all in the mental interpretation. I don't know a whole lot about FM, but it seems to me more likely that the pain has a source outside the brain.

 

[PennyIA]

I also worry that this "its all in your brain" type of hypothesis is not too far from a psychiatric account.

This worries me as well. Hopefully if causation can be found and the changes they are seeing is an effect, it will serve a good purpose.

I haven't been diagnosed with fibro, but my mom suffered with it for years before she passed away... and even my step-father (who was actually pretty good to her)... still states things like "she was just overly sensitive and couldn't handle life any more"... as if it was a decision to experience pain if the clothing you wore wasn't super soft, or if the weight of the blankets would trigger pain.

Last thing I want to see is more fodder for it being something that is related to psychiatric issues.

 

[osisposis]

it's TBI ! not psychiatric

 

[adreno]

it's TBI ! not psychiatric

Hyperconnectivity isn't TBI, it's quite the opposite. It likely shows that a pathway of the brain has been "overused", which causes the pathway to hyperconnect.

I think @Woolie is right that these findings could possibly be used by psychs to argue for "brain retraining", instead of looking for the peripheral factors that likely cause the overstimulation of the brain pathway.

 

[Sidereal]

These "central sensitisation" theories are just a restatement of psychosomatic theories of the 1980s-1990s in more neurobabbly language. It is far more likely that FM pain originates in the periphery (muscle) and that the brain rewiring occurs as a consequence of constant pain signals reaching it.

 

[Woolie]

These "central sensitisation" theories are just a restatement of psychosomatic theories of the 1980s-1990s in more neurobabbly language. It is far more likely that FM pain originates in the periphery (muscle) and that the brain rewiring occurs as a consequence of constant pain signals reaching it.

Yes, I suspect so too, @Sidereal. I think we'll be seeing more of psychogenic illness theories getting a makeover through the use of neuroimaging language. Its terribly hard to interpret a lot of these effects, which leaves lots of room for people to use them any way they wish.

 

[osisposis]

done any research on TBI vs. PTSD lately?

 

[peggy-sue]

What is TBI?

I've certainly heard of a neural process called kindling, which hypersensitises aspects of pain.

There have been studies done on babies who had to undergo serious and severe treatments to save their lives at birth - loads of needles, catheters, tests and surgical stuff.

The findings were that babies exposed to excessive pain grew up to be hyper-sensitive to pain.

Sorry, no reference. Just something that I read and was very interested in - probably an article from Medscape - I get updates on pain research.

 

[osisposis]

What is TBI?

I've certainly heard of a neural process called kindling, which hypersensitises aspects of pain.

There have been studies done on babies who had to undergo serious and severe treatments to save their lives at birth - loads of needles, catheters, tests and surgical stuff.

The findings were that babies exposed to excessive pain grew up to be hyper-sensitive to pain.

Sorry, no reference. Just something that I read and was very interested in - probably an article from Medscape - I get updates on pain research.[/QUOTE]

Tramatic Brain Injury, TBI , witch can also be very mild to very severe

 

[osisposis]

What is TBI?

I've certainly heard of a neural process called kindling, which hypersensitises aspects of pain.

There have been studies done on babies who had to undergo serious and severe treatments to save their lives at birth - loads of needles, catheters, tests and surgical stuff.

The findings were that babies exposed to excessive pain grew up to be hyper-sensitive to pain.

Sorry, no reference. Just something that I read and was very interested in - probably an article from Medscape - I get updates on pain research.

[/QUOTE]

closed head TBI

 

[osisposis]

seems I remember reading something that basicly told me that Montoya lumps CFS and Fibromyalgia together, seems that may pose a bit of a problem when many have one but not the other. anyways, I have had Fibromyalgia for almost 15 years, along with CFS, PTSD,IBS,MCS+allergic . I have been researching sence 2007, I'm not stupied, I am here because of exposure in a water damaged building/nasty moldy house. I think people might need to so some research surrounding the list of causes the IOM listed, I've been around, in another group for years, one thing you can ask anyone that knows me is that despite how hard research was for me to do in this shape, I'm not stupied and in that group I backed up everything I put out there with the research. I read the comments in the news article of the IOM findings, same old thing, people tend to run their mouths like they have all the knowledge on all this when they have never even tried doing any research, it gets old, just because one has this from lyme doesn't mean everyone does, same with mold, obviously theres a few different causes just like theres different severities. if you dont have Fibromyalgia maybe you should not comment on it ? maybe? cause maybe you dont have a clue, now if its the chronic pain that causes fibromyalgia and only the pain, maybe you guys that dont have Fibromyalgia can tell me what causes the pain? no? or maybe you could keep a open mind ? no? or maybe you can go spend some time researching the causes listed and open your mind to things other than your own beliefs just based on your experience, cause that kind of thinking is hindering not helping. I purposely did my research without following any single one of these "experts" just because everybody follows who ever they fell best matches what they think, I actually have quite a bit of knowledge to share but I got so burnt out on trying to get the "patients" to open their minds in one group that I had to leave and I have no intention to go back to that again, so obviously this is not the group for me, no offence to anyone really, but yep, I've came to far in my knowledge and have dealt with to much bs and am to ill to go there again. so I well leave ya all to carry on because I do have a few experts seeing my research and thats good enough for me cause I am not up to everything it takes to prove and get people to see a different view when they already think they have it all figured out. I am disappointed to get basicly the same kind of treatment when trying to inlight people that for example the folks at NIH or the IOM members get, just a word of advice, STOP IT! I am sick like you all and obviously more sicker than most, Quit downing every damn thing these people are trying to do, they might be right on the right track and you just dont know it yet, for one thing there can be primary and secondary responces in the brain just like there can be in the rest of the body, there can be immediate and delayed responces, TBI has a secondary responce and that is the immune system responce and PTSD has a immune responce to it as well, do some research , at this point they are haveing a pretty hard time seeing a difference here except that one may be more long term and chronic there may in fact not be a difference. what goes around can come around, just like autoimmunity, your immune system does not just up and deside to attack itself one day, theres always a cause. so truely a PHYC is going to have just as hard of a time saying this is this and it isn't TBI, afterall they share the same pathways, physcological and physical, and please no emails running down my spelling, my TBI was on the severe side.

 

[Woolie]

@osisposis, sorry you're hurt by the discussion, and I won't post any more comments. But thanks for sharing the paper.

If you have had a TBI in the past, I'm very sorry to hear it - I've worked with young people who've suffered severe TBI (mainly from car accidents) and I can't think of anything more devastating.

 

[adreno]

I am sorry too, if you have been mistreated @osisposis. TBI can certainly be a cause of chronic pain, along with many other problems.

TBI, as you probably know, are lesions in the brain,caused by trauma. The present study does not relate to this. It shows increased connectivity (thicker nerve fiber bundles) in one region of the brain.

Connections in the brain typically increase with use. However, I will not rule out the possibility that genetics, or environmental factors can be involved in how the brain is wired.

Finally, TBI can cause rewiring of the brain. As some connections are severed, others can be strengthened. However, it is doubtful that all or even most patients with ME/CFS/FM are victims of TBI.

 

[osisposis]

your both fine, like I said , it's nothing new to me, but if you deside to look into it you can find a relationship between toxin exposure and TBI, I had all the symptoms of TBI, I was diagnosed with PTSD right after my exposure and put on disability, my family doctor gave me ear drops for what he didn't take seriously enough was CSF leaking out my nose and ears, yep, suffered menningitis. this was 2001 in Mo. and here at that time if you even mentioned the word mold the doctors told you that you were crazy, mold couldn't hurt anyone, well, now they have been proved wrong. the route of infection was sinus>brain, dura matter and yep it missed me up pretty bad.
adreno, I'm fully aware that most are not damaged to this severity like I said, I was the member of another group for a long time. but I'm also very aware that most do not get proper diagnoses and quick diagnoses and that is a biggy and yep some have been damaged this bad, I know a few and it can be very easy to mistake CSF coming out your nose for just a runny nose exspecially when your getting sick in a moldy home and haveing cold and flu like symptoms , the fact it was coming out my ears too however gave me the insight that it was not a runny nose. my brain has suffered, I would try to carry on a conversation and switch in the middle to a tottally different subject, people would ask me something and when I spoke the answer had nothing to do with the question they asked, I even caught some of this myself but mostly didnt know I was doing stuff like that untill people told me, I was in lalaland for a long time.amazeing that one can suffer menningitis and with these cold/flu like symptoms going on how easily that can be missed, personally I think thats a biggy that many haven't even considered.

 

[osisposis]

Runny Nose Actually Leaking Brain Fluid: Why Was Joe Nagy's Brain leaking Cerebrospinal Fluid?

http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/5092/20130507/runny-nose-leaking-brain-fluid-joe-nagy.htm

Nose Leaking Brain Fluid: Arizona Man Believed it was Year-Round Allergies

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/a...arizona-man-believed-year-round-allergies.htm


Man's runny nose was brain leaking fluid

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/07/man-runny-nose-was-brain-leaking-fluid/

http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti...-runny-nose-turns-out-leaking-brain-fluid.htm

http://www.inquisitr.com/653062/runny-nose-leaking-brain-fluid-affected-man-for-years/

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/349652



Home> Health
Arizona Woman Nearly Dies as Brain Fluid Leaks Out Nose
Dec. 3, 2012

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/arizona-woman-dies-brain-fluid-leaks-nose/story?id=17849038