Aims: To use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to search for evidence of altered brain morphology in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD).
Methods: Using VBM, regional gray and white matter volume was investigated in nine TMD patients and nine carefully matched healthy controls.
Results: A decrease in gray matter volume occurred in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, in the right posterior cingulate gyrus, the right anterior insular cortex, left inferior frontal gyrus, as well as the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally in the TMD patients. Also, white matter analyses revealed decreases in regional white matter volume in the medial prefrontal cortex bilaterally in TMD patients.
Conclusion: These data support previous findings by showing that TMD, like other chronic pain states, is associated with changes in brain morphology in brain regions known to be part of the central pain system.