Neurotransmission and the experience of low back pain; no association between csf monoamine metabolites and pain

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The possible associations between the demographic, clinical and psychological characteristics of 80 patients with low back pain and the CSF levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the principal CNS metabolites of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline [norepinephrine] and of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of serotonin, were investigated. Neither the clinical measures nor the psychological characteristics were significantly correlated with the CSF neurochemistry. The hypothesis about an intimate relationship between monoaminergic neurotransmission and the experience of chronic low back pain was not confirmed. Among the other factors studied, body height contributed most to the variance in both 5-HIAA and HVA concentrations; the levels of MHPG increased with age.