Gray matter changes related to chronic posttraumatic headache

Abstract

Background: Although up to 15% of patients with whiplash injury develop chronic headache, the basis and mechanisms of this posttraumatic headache are not well understood.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with posttraumatic headache following whiplash injury were investigated within 14 days after the accident and again after 3 months using magnetic resonance-based voxel-based morphometry. Twelve patients developed chronic headache lasting longer than 3 months and were studied a third time after 1 year.

Results: Patients who developed chronic headache revealed decreases in gray matter in the anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after 3 months. These changes resolved after 1 year, in parallel to the cessation of headache. The same patients who developed chronic headache showed an increase of gray matter in antinociceptive brainstem centers, thalamus, and cerebellum 1 year after the accident.

Conclusion: We demonstrate adaptive gray matter changes of pain processing structures in patients with chronic posttraumatic headache in regard to neuronal plasticity, thus providing a biologically plausible basis for this common, disabling problem.