FIBROMYALGIA AND A SHRINKING BRAIN



Gray Matter Reductions in Fibromyalgia Patients



 
Fibromyalgia is characterized by joint stiffness, pain, sleep disturbances and pain. It is medically unexplained, though past research has shown that there is a correlation between fibromyalgia and gray matter reduction. Gray matter is a part of the central nervous system that routes sensory and motor stimulus of the central nervous system to create chemical synapse response activity.

A study found that the neurotransmitter dopamine may be responsible for gray matter reductions in fibromyalgia patients. The study was led by Dr. Patrick B. Wood, of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, and published in the Journal of Pain.

Researchers compared the brains of 20 healthy women and 30 women with fibromyalgia, all of the same age. They found that the fibromyalgia patients had a significant reduction in gray matter, reinforcing previous studies. In addition, they found a strong connection between gray matter density areas of the brain and dopamine metabolism levels.

This new information may give researchers new clues about brain abnormalities in fibromyalgia patients and may help them to learn more about this mystifying disorder.


About the Author: Tim Moore is a former Social Security Disability Examiner in North Carolina, has been interviewed by the NY Times and the LA Times on the disability system, and is an Accredited Disability Representative (ADR) in North Carolina. For assistance on a disability application or Appeal in NC, click here.







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