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Sensorimotor returning in complex regional pain syndrome parallels pain reduction
Author(s) -
Pleger Burkhard,
Tegenthoff Martin,
Ragert Patrick,
Förster AnnFreya,
Dinse Hubert R.,
Schwenkreis Peter,
Nicolas Volkmar,
Maier Christoph
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.20394
Subject(s) - complex regional pain syndrome , somatosensory system , secondary somatosensory cortex , tactile discrimination , psychology , cerebral cortex , medicine , sensorimotor cortex , neuroscience , physical medicine and rehabilitation , anesthesia
Patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and intractable pain showed a shrinkage of cortical maps on primary (SI) and secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) contralateral to the affected limb. This was paralleled by an impairment of the two‐point discrimination thresholds. Behavioral treatment over 1 to 6 months consisting of graded sensorimotor retuning led to a persistent decrease in pain intensity, which was accompanied by a restoration of the impaired tactile discrimination and regaining of cortical map size in contralateral SI and SII. This suggests that the reversal of tactile impairment and cortical reorganization in CRPS is associated with a decrease in pain. Ann Neurol 2005;57:425–429