Fibromyalgia & musculoskeletal pain
Brain morphometry changes with fatigue severity in fibromyalgia
Authors' conclusion
The thalamus and the right inferior temporal cortex are implicated in the manifestation of fatigue severity in FM.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with fibromyalgia (FM), with clinical profiles and brain-MRI data
- Participants
- 138 patients
- Exposure
- Mild vs moderate vs severe fatigue in FM
- Mild fatiguen = 23
- Moderate fatiguen = 57
- Severe fatiguen = 58
- Outcome
- Brain morphometry changes (volumetric changes) associated with fatigue severity
Methodological detailsvoxel-based morphometry, trend analysis, seed-to-voxel structural covariance networks
- Voxel-based morphometry
- Trend analysis
- Seed-to-voxel structural covariance networks
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- After adjusting for anxiety and depression, decreased bilateral thalamic volumes associated with higher fatigue severity
- Thalamic seed structural covariance (SC) distributions more widespread to frontal, parietal, subcortical and limbic regions with higher fatigue severity
- Increased right inferior temporal cortex volumes associated with higher fatigue severity
- Right inferior temporal seed SC distributions more over temporal cortex, and SC strengths higher with bilateral occipital cortex, with higher fatigue severity
- Adjusted for anxiety and depression
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Clinical features and fatigue severity
- Number of musculoskeletal pain regions and pain intensity not associated with fatigue severity
- Somatic symptoms and psychiatric distress (waking unrefreshed, depression, anxiety) associated with fatigue severity
Original publication
Brain morphometry changes with fatigue severity in fibromyalgia. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Published 26 May 2022. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →