Se trata de un estudio longitudinal de cambios de la estructura cerebral a largo plazo en los enfermos de SFC respecto a controles sanos, a base de Resonancias Magnéticas realizadas durante 6 años, utilizando el análisis de morfometría basada en voxel (VBM). De este modo, se detectan diferencias estructurales entre los enfermos de SFC y los controles sanos, identificando no sólo diferencias estructurales entre ambos grupos, sino también entre diversos grados de severidad de la afectación de los enfermos.
El estudio concluye que los resultados sugieren que el SFC muestra claramente déficits en la materia blanca (WM) del fascículo fronto-occipital (IFOF), que se deteriora en los enfermos de SFC a un ritmo anormal.
Cuando yo digo que cada vez tengo menos cerebro, no me equivocaba demasiado...
Progressive Brain Changes in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Longitudinal MRI Study
Zack Y. Shan, PhD, * Richard Kwiatek, MBBS, Richard Burnet, MBBS, Peter Del Fante, MBBS, Donald R. Staines, MBBS, Sonya M. Marshall-Gradisnik, PhD, and Leighton R. Barnden, PhDAbstract
Purpose
To examine progressive brain changes associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Materials and Methods
We investigated progressive brain changes with longitudinal MRI in 15 CFS and 10 normal controls (NCs) scanned twice 6 years apart on the same 1.5 Tesla (T) scanner. MR images yielded gray matter (GM) volumes, white matter (WM) volumes, and T1- and T2-weighted signal intensities (T1w and T2w). Each participant was characterized with Bell disability scores, and somatic and neurological symptom scores. We tested for differences in longitudinal changes between CFS and NC groups, inter group differences between pooled CFS and pooled NC populations, and correlations between MRI and symptom scores using voxel based morphometry. The analysis methodologies were first optimized using simulated atrophy.
Results
We found a significant decrease in WM volumes in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) in CFS while in NCs it was unchanged (family wise error adjusted cluster level P value, PFWE < 0.05). This longitudinal finding was consolidated by the group comparisons which detected significantly decreased regional WM volumes in adjacent regions (PFWE < 0.05) and decreased GM and blood volumes in contralateral regions (PFWE < 0.05). Moreover, the regional GM and WM volumes and T2w in those areas showed significant correlations with CFS symptom scores (PFWE < 0.05).
Conclusion
The results suggested that CFS is associated with IFOF WM deficits which continue to deteriorate at an abnormal rate.
enlace al estudio completo: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 25283/full" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;