Story perspectives

Shared Brain Thinning Links Chronic Pain, Depression, Anxiety

10/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The meta-analysis identifies shared cortical thinning in the ACC-insula/IFG circuit and left middle temporal gyrus across chronic pain (CP), major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety (ANX) versus healthy controls (HCs).
These changes relate to cognitive and emotional processing.
Alterations unique to each disorder suggest distinct mechanisms alongside shared ones.
Limitations include reliance on summarized data and disorder heterogeneity; future research should examine treatment implications, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

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Story summary

The meta-analysis identifies shared cortical thinning in the ACC-insula/IFG circuit and left middle temporal gyrus across chronic pain (CP), major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety (ANX) versus healthy controls (HCs).
These changes relate to cognitive and emotional processing.
Alterations unique to each disorder suggest distinct mechanisms alongside shared ones.
Limitations include reliance on summarized data and disorder heterogeneity; future research should examine treatment implications, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).