Chronic Back Pain Shrinks 'Thinking Parts' Of The Brain, Study Finds

[Max]

Chronic Back Pain Shrinks 'Thinking Parts' Of The Brain, Study Finds
CHICAGO --- Chronic back pain, a condition afflicting many Americans, shrinks the brain by as much as 11 percent -- equivalent to the amount of gray matter lost in 10 to 20 years of normal aging, a Northwestern University research study found.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123115119.htm

[David Berg]

The conclusion of the article is scary, though it's not really news to a lot of folks in chronic pain:
The researchers hypothesize that atrophy of brain circuitry involved in pain perception may dictate the properties of the pain state, such that as atrophy of elements of the circuitry progresses, the pain condition becomes more irreversible and less responsive to therapy.

[dejerine]

Max

You really find stuff. I wonder how much atrophy goes on in CP. Thanks for the post.