Corticostriatal functional connectivity in chronic back pain

Chronic back pain causes high costs in the healthcare system and often has far-reaching negative effects on those affected. In order to prevent chronification, early prediction of the possible chronification of subacute pain is important. One of the best predictions was made by a working group from the USA in 2012 using an fMRI study of functional connectivity in the brain. The main aim of the planned study is now to compare functional connectivity in patients with chronic back pain (PmcR) with sex- and age-matched control subjects in order to investigate the prognostic suitability of this parameter. A second objective is to demonstrate the modifiability of this parameter through interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy (IMST). IMST leads to a significant improvement in clinical symptoms, particularly with regard to pain intensity and functional impairment in PmcR. We now assume that IMST can also normalize the above-mentioned parameter. In order to examine the above-mentioned questions, PmcR who have been referred to the Pain Day Clinic of the UKJ for IMST will be asked to voluntarily undergo a 30-minute MRI/fMRI examination twice and to provide the results of the questionnaire already conducted as part of the diagnostics and follow-up examinations using the German Pain Questionnaire for the study. The questions can be answered from the comparisons before and after IMST.