You have accessJournal of UrologyInfections/Inflammation of the Genitourinary Tract: Interstitial Cystitis1 Apr 2015PD20-07 ALTERATIONS IN CONNECTIVITY ON FMRI WITH PROVOCATION OF LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS IN UROLOGIC CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN SYNDROMES Natalia Kleinhans, Claire Yang, Eric Strachan, Dedra Buchwald, and Kenneth Maravilla Natalia KleinhansNatalia Kleinhans More articles by this author , Claire YangClaire Yang More articles by this author , Eric StrachanEric Strachan More articles by this author , Dedra BuchwaldDedra Buchwald More articles by this author , and Kenneth MaravillaKenneth Maravilla More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2015.02.678AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes (UCPPS) have refractory bladder or pelvic pain as their dominant symptom, which has been attributed to changes in the central nervous system caused by a chronic barrage of noxious stimuli. To ascertain whether altered brain function is associated with UCPPS, we developed a novel challenge protocol that induces bladder distention in study participants to reproduce pain symptoms. METHODS We recruited 10 female twin pairs who were discordant for UCPPS-like symptoms. Before scanning, each twin urinated to completion, then consumed 500 cc of water. Each twin was scanned with our resting state fMRI protocol immediately, and approximately 50 minutes after consumption. Time series were extracted from the right and left periaqueductal gray (PAG) and right and left amygdala subregions. We conducted a repeated-measures, two-sample t-test to assess differences in connectivity between symptomatic and asymptomatic twins before and after bladder distention. RESULTS Group-by-condition interaction effects were found from the PAG to the right cerebellum VIIIa, amygdala, right premotor cortex, and insular cortex and between the amygdala and the medial orbital frontal cortex, hypothalamus, insular cortex, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that our non-invasive bladder distention protocol can detect differences in the processing of urinary sensation between twins discordant for lower urinary tract pain. Specifically, women with UCPPS symptoms appear to have chronically enhanced connectivity that may indicate the presence of central nervous system alterations. © 2015 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 193Issue 4SApril 2015Page: e400 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2015 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Natalia Kleinhans More articles by this author Claire Yang More articles by this author Eric Strachan More articles by this author Dedra Buchwald More articles by this author Kenneth Maravilla More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...