AI Article Synopsis
- Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that leads to chronic pain and episodes called vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), and this study investigates how certain brain chemicals are altered in patients with SCD.
- Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers measured levels of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) in the right posterior insula cortex of individuals with SCD and healthy controls, finding significantly higher Glx levels in SCD patients, along with notable correlations between Glx levels, VOC frequency, and pain sensitivity.
- These findings suggest that an imbalance in excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate in the insula may play a role in the pain experienced by SCD patients, highlighting the need for further
Article Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemolytic disorder accompanied by chronic pain and recurrent acute painful episodes known as vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). Increased Glx (glutamate+glutamine) and lowered GABA concentration have been reported in the insula of patients with fibromyalgia, a nociplastic chronic pain condition, and may affect the pathophysiology of pain-related syndromes.Therefore, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) was conducted to measure levels of Glx and other brain metabolites using a single voxel (size: 2×3×3 cm) in the right posterior insula cortex (PIC) in 17 individuals with SCD and 17 ethnicity-, age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). The frequency of VOCs in the preceding 12 months was recorded. The concentration of Glx (p=0.019) and the ratio of Glx to tCr (total creatine, p=0.035) in the PIC were significantly higher in patients with SCD as compared to matched HCs (n=17). Secondary analyses with the unpaired full sample of 24 SCD also showed a significantly higher level of Glx/tCr than HCs (n=19), with a positive correlation between the level of Glx/tCr and the number of VOCs (p=0.034, r=0.476), as well as a negative correlation between Glx and sensory sensitivity assessed by tonic pressure pain in gastrocnemius area of the non-dominant leg (p=0.040, r=-0.462). The unpaired full sample additionally revealed a significant difference in sensory sensitivity (p=0.050). Altered metabolites such as GABA and myo-inositol were also observed between SCD and HCs. These results suggest that elevated excitatory neurotransmission in the insula might contribute to nociplastic pain in SCD. PERSPECTIVE: Our work highlighted the innovative finding of elevated levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate with glutamine in patients with SCD compared to healthy controls. The positive relationship between Glx/tCr and the frequency of VOCs suggests that an excitatory brain neurotransmitter imbalance may be involved in VOCs.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104743 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Longitudinal FDG-PET Metabolic Change Along the Lewy Body Continuum.
JAMA Neurol
January 2025
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Importance: Although 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a well-established cross-sectional biomarker of brain metabolism in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the longitudinal change in FDG-PET has not been characterized.
Objective: To investigate longitudinal FDG-PET in prodromal DLB and DLB, including a subsample with autopsy data, and report estimated sample sizes for a hypothetical clinical trial in DLB.
Design, Setting, And Participants: Longitudinal case-control study with mean (SD) follow-up of 3.
Sex-Specific White Matter Abnormalities Across the Dynamic Pain Connectome in Neuropathic Pain: A Fixel-Based Analysis Study.
Hum Brain Mapp
January 2025
Division of Brain, Imaging, and Behaviour, Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
A fundamental issue in neuroscience is a lack of understanding regarding the relationship between brain function and the white matter architecture that supports it. Individuals with chronic neuropathic pain (NP) exhibit functional abnormalities throughout brain networks collectively termed the "dynamic pain connectome" (DPC), including the default mode network (DMN), salience network, and ascending nociceptive and descending pain modulation systems. These functional abnormalities are often observed in a sex-dependent fashion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBeyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication.
Neuroimage
January 2025
Academy of Wellness and Human Development, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
The ability to infer a speaker's utterance within a particular context for the intended meaning is central to communication. Yet, little is known about the underlying neurocomputational mechanisms of pragmatic inference, let alone relevant differences among individuals. Here, using a reference game combined with model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we showed that an individual-level pragmatic inference model was a better predictor of listeners' performance than a population-level model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe contribution of cutaneous thermal signals to bodily self-awareness.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Thermosensory signals may contribute to the sense of body ownership, but their role remains highly debated. We test this assumption within the framework of pathological body ownership, hypothesising that skin temperature and thermoception differ between right-hemisphere stroke patients with and without Disturbed Sensation of Ownership (DSO) for the contralesional plegic upper limb. Patients with DSO exhibit lower basal hand temperatures bilaterally and impaired perception of cold and warm stimuli.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSex differences in resting-state fMRI functional connectivity related to humor styles.
Biol Psychol
January 2025
Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106308, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106308, Taiwan; Chinese Language and Technology Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106308, Taiwan; Social Emotional Education and Development Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106308, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Research on how functional connectivity (FC) during resting-state relates to humor styles and sex is limited. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by analyzing resting-state fMRI data from 56 healthy participants and measuring FC. In addition, participants completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!