Theory of Mind and Emotional Functioning in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: An Investigation of the Relationship between Social Cognition and Executive Function
Marialaura Di Tella,
Lorys Castelli ,
Fabrizio Colonna,
Enrico Fusaro,
Riccardo Torta,
Rita B. Ardito,
Mauro Adenzato
PLOS
Published: January 16, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116542
The hyperactivity of the pain network due to central nervous system sensitisation, may lead to an increased demand on structures such as the amygdala and insula, reducing the available resources for other functions such as emotional processing.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25594169
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0116542
Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2011 Apr;25(2):271-84. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2011.02.003.
Neuroimaging of fibromyalgia.
Gracely RH1, Ambrose KR.
Author information
Abstract
The primary symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread pain. This symptom is accompanied by secondary symptoms, such as cognitive difficulties and sensitivity to painful stimulation, and by numerous co-morbidities. The first neuroimaging studies addressed the primary symptom by examining differences between patients and controls using single-photon-emission-computed tomography (SPECT). Subsequent studies focussed on the secondary symptom of increased sensitivity to painful stimulation. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies using the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) method to assess brain activation demonstrated augmented sensitivity to painful pressure and the association of this augmentation with variables such as depression and catastrophising. These studies have also assessed brain processes associated with cognitive dysfunction. Neuroimaging studies of fibromyalgia have now come full circle, using new techniques to provide information about differences that may relate to underlying mechanisms and the primary symptom of widespread pain. Using a wide array of techniques, these studies have found differences in opioid receptor binding, concentration of metabolites associated with neural processing in pain-related regions and differences in functional brain networks and in regional brain volume and in white-matter tracks. This array of neuroimaging techniques continues to provide increasing information about supraspinal mechanisms associated with fibromyalgia that will aid in diagnosis, including identification of diagnostic subgroups, the development of new efficacious treatments that address both causes and symptoms and the matching of patients to treatments.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22094201
Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2012 Oct;16(5):388-98. doi: 10.1007/s11916-012-0284-9.
Brain imaging in fibromyalgia.
Jorge LL1, Amaro E Jr.
Author information
Abstract
Fibromyalgia is a primary brain disorder or a result of peripheral dysfunctions inducing brain alterations, with underlying mechanisms that partially overlap with other painful conditions. Although there are methodologic variations, neuroimaging studies propose neural correlations to clinical findings of abnormal pain modulation in fibromyalgia. Growing evidences of specific differences of brain activations in resting states and pain-evoked conditions confirm clinical hyperalgesia and impaired inhibitory descending systems, and also demonstrate cognitive-affective influences on painful experiences, leading to augmented pain-processing. Functional data of neural activation abnormalities parallel structural findings of gray matter atrophy, alterations of intrinsic connectivity networks, and variations in metabolites levels along multiple pathways. Data from positron-emission tomography, single-photon-emission-computed tomography, blood-oxygen-level-dependent, voxel-based morphometry, diffusion tensor imaging, default mode network analysis, and spectroscopy enable the understanding of fibromyalgia pathophysiology, and favor the future establishment of more tailored treatments.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22717698
cITED
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed_citedin&from_uid=22094201