Nitzsche Björn, Schulze Sabine, Boltze Johannes, Schmidt Martin J
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Front Neuroanat. 2023 Jul 17;17:1175953. doi: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1175953. eCollection 2023.
Pathomorphological alterations of the central nervous system in dogs, such as syringomyelia and Chiari-like malformation, can cause cranial and cervical hyperesthesia and neuropathic pain. The long-term activity of the pain network can induce functional alteration and eventually even morphological changes in the pain network. This may happen especially in the prefrontal and cingulate cortex, where atrophy of the gray matter (GM) was observed in humans with chronic pain, irrespective of the nature of the pain syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) with Chiari-like malformation and associated syringomyelia (SM) and pain show cerebral morphological differences compared to animals without signs of syringomyelia and pain.
Volumetric datasets of 28 different brain structures were analyzed in a retrospective manner, including voxel-based morphometry, using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 41 dogs.
Volumetric analyses revealed a decrease in GM volumes in the cingulate gyrus (CG) in CKCS with SM and chronic pain when normalized to brain volume. This finding was supported by voxel-based morphometry, which showed a cluster of significance within the CG.
GM atrophy in the CG is associated with chronic pain and thus may serve as an objective readout parameter for the diagnosis or treatment of canine pain syndromes.
犬中枢神经系统的病理形态学改变，如脊髓空洞症和 Chiari 样畸形，可导致头部和颈部感觉过敏及神经性疼痛。疼痛网络的长期活动可诱发功能改变，并最终甚至导致疼痛网络的形态变化。这尤其可能发生在前额叶和扣带回皮质，在患有慢性疼痛的人类中观察到灰质萎缩，而与疼痛综合征的性质无关。我们检验了这样一个假设，即患有 Chiari 样畸形及相关脊髓空洞症（SM）和疼痛的骑士查理王小猎犬（CKCS）与没有脊髓空洞症和疼痛迹象的动物相比，存在脑形态学差异。
使用从 41 只犬获得的磁共振成像数据，以回顾性方式分析了 28 种不同脑结构的体积数据集，包括基于体素的形态测量学。
体积分析显示，当按脑体积进行归一化时，患有 SM 和慢性疼痛的 CKCS 的扣带回（CG）灰质体积减少。基于体素的形态测量学支持了这一发现，其显示在 CG 内有一个显著簇。
CG 中的灰质萎缩与慢性疼痛相关，因此可作为犬疼痛综合征诊断或治疗的客观读出参数。
