Highlights
- •Alterations in microstructure in provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) were observed.
- •Fibers associated with sensorimotor integration and pain processing were involved.
- •These alterations were associated with increased vaginal muscle tenderness and vulvar pain.
- •These alterations may contribute to increased pain sensitivity and tenderness.
- •These findings highlight the need for new therapies targeting the central nervous system.
Abstract
Perspective
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Footnotes
Arpana Gupta and Davis C. Woodworth contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.
This work has been published, in part, as an abstract at the American Pain Society and the International Association of Pain Society annual conferences in 2016.
This research was supported in part by grants from the National Vulvodynia Association and National Institutes of Health: P30 DK041301, R01 DK048351, R01 HD076756, P50DK64539.
Pilot scans were provided by the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, UCLA.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.