Duration of the Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain and an altered brain dynamic. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the duration of the symptoms on the cortical activity of women with fibromyalgia using electroencephalogram power spectrum analyses in an eye-closed resting state. Twenty-nine women participated in this cross-sectional study (N: 29; age: 55.59 [9.50]). Theta, alpha, beta-1, beta-2, and beta-3 frequency bands were analyzed using EEGLAB. Theta power significantly correlated with the duration of the symptoms, but not with age. In addition, participants were divided into two groups according to number the years for which they were suffering from fibromyalgia. Participants who had a longer duration of symptoms obtained higher theta power in the frontal (Fp1, F4, F7, F8, and Fz), central (C3, C4, and Cz), and parietal (P3 and Pz) areas than those who had a shorter duration of symptoms, which may be related to brain aging. This exploratory study demonstrates for the first time that the frontal, central, and parietal areas may be influenced by the years in which they were suffering from the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This might indicate that the duration of these symptoms may have a higher impact on brain aging than the actual age of the patient.

Effects of Exergames on Brain Dynamics in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…EEG signals were assessed pre- (one week before starting the intervention) and post-exergame intervention (one week after ending the intervention) with an Enobio device (Neuroelectrics, Cambridge, MA, USA) [36] during a 1-min resting period with eyes closed. This procedure was also followed in previous studies with women with fibromyalgia [10,11]. The wireless Enobio electrode system is reliable even with dry electrodes [37].…”

“…This enabled us to explore whether the duration of fibromyalgia symptoms altered the effectiveness of the exergame-based intervention. This strategy for splitting sub-groups of patients was previously performed in women with fibromyalgia [10,39].…”

“…Fibromyalgia leads to a reduction in the ability to perform activities of daily life [6] and in the quality of life [7]. Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies have reported abnormal dynamics in the brain at rest [8,9,10,11], while eliciting depression symptoms [12] and during pain processing [13,14,15] in patients with fibromyalgia.…”

Neurophysiological Differences Between Women With Fibromyalgia and Healthy Controls During Dual Task: A Pilot Study

“…Besides, people with FM usually showed depression or cognitive impairment ( Wolfe et al, 2010 ) in several domains such as long-term memory ( Canovas et al, 2009 ), short-term memory ( Park et al, 2001 ), or working memory ( Coppieters et al, 2015 ). These comorbidities could have an impact on EEG, showing a left hemisphere hypoactivation ( Villafaina et al, 2019e ) or a reduced theta power at rest ( Musaeus et al, 2018 ; Villafaina et al, 2019b ). However, taking into account the simultaneous cognitive task, the attention deficit disorder could have a significant impact on the EEG patter during the DT condition.…”

“…Nevertheless, FM is accompanied by other symptoms, such as stiffness, mobility problems, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, or cognitive impairments ( Wolfe et al, 2010 ). The study of cognition and FM is a growing field of research since previous studies have reported cognitive impairments in several domains of people with FM, including long-term memory ( Canovas et al, 2009 ), short-term memory ( Park et al, 2001 ), working memory ( Coppieters et al, 2015 ), processing speed ( Del Paso et al, 2015 ), or even an abnormal EEG signal at rest ( Villafaina et al, 2019a , b ).…”