Abstract
BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder affecting 6%-10% of all women in their reproductive age. There is an emerging view in the literature that psychological trauma plays a central role in the pathogenesis of pelvic pain, one of the core symptoms of endometriosis. Here we report central nervous system mechanisms of a novel combination of psychotherapy and somatosensory stimulation that has recently shown remarkable effects in reducing pain, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in these patients. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial;67 patients with severe endometriosis-associated pain (maximum pain: 7.6 +/- 2.0, average pain: 4.5 +/- 2.0 on a 10-point numeric rating scale) were included in the study and randomly allocated to intervention (35 patients) or waitlist control (32 patients) groups. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess brain connectivity of these patients at baseline, after 3 months of therapy, and after 6 months. The analysis focused on the hippocampus. RESULTS: We identified a cortical network comprising the right anterolateral hippocampus-a region modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis-and somatosensory, viscerosensory, and interoceptive brain regions. Regression analysis showed that reduction in connectivity predicted therapy-induced improvement in patients' anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified a putative neurobiological mechanism underlying the potent combination of psychotherapy and somatic stimulation in treating symptoms of endometriosis.
| Dokumententyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
|---|---|
| Fakultät: | Medizin |
| Themengebiete: | 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit |
| ISSN: | 0006-3223 |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Dokumenten ID: | 65667 |
| Datum der Veröffentlichung auf Open Access LMU: | 19. Jul. 2019, 12:18 |
| Letzte Änderungen: | 04. Nov. 2020, 13:46 |
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