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Abstract #2008

Decreased Glutamate in the Periaqueductal Gray Associates with Neuropathic Pain

Yazhuo Kong 1 , Uzay Emir 1 , George Tackley 1 , Lucy Matthews 2 , Charlotte Stagg 1 , Irene Tracey 1 , and Jacqueline Palace 2

1 FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 2 Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a key component of descending pain modulatory system that powerfully modulates nociceptive inputs. Here, we specifically assess the relationship between increased descending inhibition, as reflected by an increased excitatory glutamate level within the PAG, and the degree of neuropathic pain, using 1H MR spectroscopy and painDETECT questionnaire with Neuromyelitis Optica patients. Glutamate was found to be negatively correlated to the degree of neuropathic pain. Our finding suggests that glutamate levels may reflect the tone of inhibitory activity established in the descending pain inhibition system.

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