Sex-specific brain patterns of pain with comorbidities in mice

Motivation: Chronic pain affects about 20% of European adults and is often accompanied by multiple comorbidities, increasing its overall impact. However, the mechanisms linking these conditions remain poorly understood. Goal(s): Our study aimed to identify brain MRI biomarkers associated with pain and its comorbidities. Approach: We explored a large cohort of male and female outbred mice with chronic pain, emotional, cognitive, and cardiovascular comorbidities, using resting-state functional images, DTI, and anatomical imaging. Results: Our findings revealed a strong sex-dimorphism in brain organization among mice with comorbidities, with cardiovascular disease having a broader impact on males. Impact: We studied a unique cohort of 300 outbred male and female mice to model human-like chronic pain and atherosclerosis, and our findings revealed sex-dependent brain architecture changes in mice with pain and comorbidities.