The brainstem has become of ever more interest in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Full story.
The brainstem has become of ever more interest in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Full story.
Brief Summary: Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are more sensitive to things that cause pain. Music lowers self-reported pain in patients with chronic pain. The investigators are able to measure pain sensitivity and pain tolerance using tools that cause pain and give accurate measurements of how much pressure is put on the body (QST). Previous studies have shown that after a few minutes of listening to music patients with FM have less self-reported pain, can get up and move from sitting more quickly, and have more activity in part of the brain that tells the body to stop sending pain signals. The investigators will study 40 patients with FM using the QST tools.
Repeated exposure to psychological trauma, or deep anxiety or depression — especially in childhood — can leave a physical imprint on the brain that can make some people more vulnerable to chronic pain, scientists say.
The study will investigate the influence of cardiovascular autonomic function on pain sensitivity at rest in patients with fibromyalgia and age- and sex-matched control, the influence of cardiovascular autonomic function at baseline and during exercise on the pain response following submaximal isometric exercise, and the relation between the pain response following physical and cognitive tasks (exercise and mental math, respectively).