Citation: The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society. Aug 2015, 16(8), 717-726
Author: Fallon, Nicholas; Li, Xiaoyun; Chiu, Yee; Nurmikko, Turo; Stancak, Andrej
Abstract:Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by widespread chronic pain, fatigue, sleep
disorders, and cognitive-emotional disturbance. Patients with FMS exhibit increased
sensitivity to experimental pain and pain-related cues, as well as deficits in emotional
regulation. The present study investigated the spatiotemporal patterns of brain activations
for observed pain in 19 patients with FMS and 18 age-matched, healthy control
individuals using event-related potential analysis. Patients with FMS attributed greater
pain and unpleasantness to pain pictures, relative to healthy control participants. An
augmented late positive potential (LPP) component (>500 milliseconds) was found in
patients viewing both pain and nonpain pictures, and this amplitude difference in the LPP
covaried with perceived unpleasantness of pictures. Mid-latency potentials (250-450
milliseconds) demonstrated similar amplitude increases of positive potentials in the FMS
patient group. By contrast, the short-latency positive potential (140 milliseconds) was
reduced in patients with FMS relative to healthy control participants. Results suggest
amplitude increases to mid- to long-latency cortical activations in patients with FMS,
which are known to reflect emotional control and motivational salience of stimuli.
Patients with FMS demonstrate increased activations associated with pain and nonpain
pictures. The findings suggest that even innocuous, everyday visual stimuli with somatic
connotations may challenge the emotional state of patients with FMS. Our study points
toward the importance of cognitive-emotional therapeutic approaches for the treatment of
FMS. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Link to PubMed record
