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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Jun 29.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Lett. 2012 May 8;520(2):197–203. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.05.001

Figure 7. Chronic pain disrupts the global grey-white matter relationship.

Figure 7

(A) The healthy brain is characterized by a positive correlation between grey and white matter integrity (estimated with diffusion tensor imaging using fractional anisotropy, FA) after correcting for age, suggesting that this anatomical interrelationship reflects the brain’s natural organizational properties. In contrast, the brains of individuals with (B) complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and (C) male chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) show a complete dissolution of this grey-white matter relationship. These findings indicate that some chronic pain conditions are associated with massive brain anatomical changes that may dramatically impact how neurons communicate, locally and globally. Figures adapted from [13,14].