Corticostriatal functional connectivity predicts transition to chronic back pain
Open accessAbstract
The mechanism of brain reorganization in pain chronification is unknown. In a longitudinal brain imaging study, subacute back pain (SBP) patients were followed over the course of 1 year. When pain persisted (SBPp, in contrast to recovering SBP and healthy controls), brain gray matter density decreased. Initially greater functional connectivity of nucleus accumbens with prefrontal cortex predicted pain persistence, implying that corticostriatal circuitry is causally involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain.
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Chronic low back pain can become a complex condition in its own right, with persistent central nervous system changes and structural changes in the back.
“There is growing evidence that cLBP, like other chronic pain conditions, can progress beyond a symptomatic state to a complex condition unto itself,109 involving persistent anatomical and functional changes in the central nervous system9, 93, 100 in addition to structural changes in the back (e.g., degenerative spinal changes, atrophy or asymmetry of para-spinal muscles).10, 11, 14”
From Report of the NIH Task Force on research standards for chronic low back pain. (2014) · cites this paper as [9]
vmPFC-NAc connectivity predicts the subsequent transition to chronic pain.
“vmPFC-NAc connectivity predicts the subsequent transition to chronic pain [54].”
From Distinct Brain Systems Mediate the Effects of Nociceptive Input and Self-Regulation on Pain (2015) · cites this paper as [54]
The exact NAc-vmPFC pathway tested was recently shown to predict the transition from acute to chronic back pain, demonstrating a functional role in pain chronification.
“the exact NAc-vmPFC pathway we tested was recently shown to predict the transition from acute to chronic back pain [53],[54], demonstrating a functional role in pain chronification.”
From Distinct Brain Systems Mediate the Effects of Nociceptive Input and Self-Regulation on Pain (2015) · cites this paper as [54]
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- Authors
- Baliki, M. N., Petre, B., Torbey, S., Herrmann, K. M., Huang, L., Schnitzer, T. J., Fields, H. L., & Apkarian, A. V.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Corresponding author
- Apkarian, A Vania
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2012-07-01
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1117-1119
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- PMC
- PMC3411898
- OpenAlex
- W2149421654
- Cited by
- 1,050
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 84 · 2021: 80 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 78 · 2018: 86 · 2017: 82 · 2016: 77 · 2015: 62 · 2014: 71 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 41.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS35115, R01NS035115)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
- Keywords
- chronic back pain, pain chronification, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, corticostriatal circuits, functional connectivity, gray matter density, brain reorganization, transition from acute to chronic pain
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Back Pain, Brain, Corpus Striatum, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Forecasting, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neural Pathways, Nucleus Accumbens, Pain Measurement, Biomarkers, Prefrontal Cortex, Chronic Pain, Acute Pain
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