Neurotransmitter Glutamate Tied to Fibromyalgia Pain
Another neurotransmitter is joining the ranks of those that are not quite right in people with fibromyalgia (FMS) - but while serotonin and norepinephrine levels are too low, glutamate is too high.
In a recently published study, researchers at the University of Michigan Health Systems have discovered that pain goes down when they reduce levels of glutamate in an area of the brain. Led by well-known FMS researcher Daniel Clauw, MD, they say this information could be useful for finding new medications and monitoring their effectiveness.
When glutamate moves through your brain, it makes cells more active. After researchers discovered people with fibromyalgia had a lot of extra activity in the area of the brain called the insula, they theorized that glutamate could be involved.
To test the theory, they used a brain-imaging test called proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) before and after acupuncture or "sham" acupuncture, because acupuncture is proven effective at inactivating areas of the brain.
After four weeks of treatment, both pain and glutamate levels in the insula were lower, suggesting glutamate plays a part in FMS and could be used as a biological indication of how severe it is. This was a small study, so the research team is calling for more research to verify the role of glutamate.
Think how it would change things to have a biological test showing how severe your FMS is! Do you think it would help people get disability? Would it help you convince your friends and family that you're really sick? Will this discovery lead to new drugs? Does this make you think more seriously about acupuncture? Share your opinion here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forum.
- Learn more about acupuncture for treating fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Get information about drugs used to treat fibromyalgia.
- Learn about the possible causes of fibromyalgia.
- Read the abstract of this study. (Registration required.)
Comments
This makes me almost cry. A real test to show that fibro is real! Maybe I can stop being labeled (a) A hypochondriac or (b) a drug seeker. Truly great news!
Oh I think it would definitely make a difference to those who suffer. It will validate those who have been shunned by the disability boards as well as aid in helping family and friends understand the levels of pain. This shows much promise. I am considering accupuncture for fibro and RSD.
I didn’t know Provigil acted on glutamate. This article makes it sound like it would increase glutamate:
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/02-are-smart-drugs-the-answer-to-bad-moods-and-bad-economy
That’s not a good thing - I see it prescribed for FMS/CFS patients. Are they trading more energy/better focus for an increase in glutamate (incr. in pain?) I see it also works on norephinephrine which I think reduces pain.
Just makes me wonder if I’m reading these things right.
Heather,
The article is a little confusing on glutamate. It says “Modafinil also indirectly alters the action of glutamate, the main neurotransmitter used by neurons in the brain to send signals down the line.” Usually, when medical types say something “alters the action” of a neurotransmitter, I’ve found it to mean, essentially - “it does something, we don’t exactly know what.”
To make it more convoluded, different neurotransmitters have different jobs in different areas of the brain. More glutamate in the insula (as in the study above) stirs up pain receptors, but in other areas it might help stir up positive activity.
Because we don’t know exactly how most of these drugs work, however, you’re absolutely right in being concerned. Anyone with FMS taking a drug that alters glutamate should watch for increased pain along with improved cognitive function.