Steiner Genevieve Z, Barry Robert J, Wassink Katherine, De Blasio Frances M, Fogarty Jack S, Cave Adele E, Love Sapphire, Armour Mike
NICM Health Research Institute and Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2020 Dec 16;14:593581. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.593581. eCollection 2020.
Endometriosis is a debilitating women's health condition and is the most common cause of chronic pelvic pain. Impaired cognitive control is common in chronic pain conditions, however, it has not yet been investigated in endometriosis. The aim of this study was to explore the neuronal correlates of cognitive control in women with endometriosis. Using a cross-sectional study design with data collected at a single time-point, event-related potentials were elicited during a cued continuous performance test from 20 women with endometriosis (mean age = 28.5 ± 5.2 years) and 20 age- and gender-matched controls (mean age = 28.5 ± 5.2 years). Event-related potential components were extracted and P3 component amplitudes were derived with temporal principal components analysis. Behavioral and ERP outcomes were compared between groups and subjective pain severity was correlated with ERP component amplitudes. No significant behavioral differences were seen in task performance between the groups (all > 0.094). Target P3b (all < 0.034) and SW (all < 0.040), and non-target early P3a (eP3a; all < 0.023) and late P3a (lP3a; all < 0.035) amplitudes were smaller for the endometriosis compared to the healthy control group. Lower non-target eP3a ( < 0.001), lP3a ( = 0.013), and SW ( = 0.019) amplitudes were correlated with higher pain severity scores. Findings suggest that endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain is linked to alterations in stimulus-response processing and inhibitory control networks, but not impaired behavioral performance, due to compensatory neuroplastic changes in overlapping cognitive control and pain networks.
子宫内膜异位症是一种损害女性健康的病症，是慢性盆腔疼痛的最常见原因。认知控制受损在慢性疼痛病症中很常见，然而，尚未在子宫内膜异位症中进行研究。本研究的目的是探讨子宫内膜异位症女性认知控制的神经相关性。采用横断面研究设计，在单个时间点收集数据，在20名子宫内膜异位症女性（平均年龄 = 28.5 ± 5.2岁）和20名年龄及性别匹配的对照组（平均年龄 = 28.5 ± 5.2岁）的线索持续操作测试中诱发事件相关电位。提取事件相关电位成分，并通过时间主成分分析得出P3成分振幅。比较两组之间的行为和ERP结果，并将主观疼痛严重程度与ERP成分振幅相关联。两组在任务表现上未观察到显著的行为差异（均> 0.094）。与健康对照组相比，子宫内膜异位症组的目标P3b（均< 0.034）和SW（均< 0.040）以及非目标早期P3a（eP3a；均< 0.023）和晚期P3a（lP3a；均< 0.035）振幅较小。较低的非目标eP3a（< 0.001）、lP3a（= 0.013）和SW（= 0.019）振幅与较高的疼痛严重程度评分相关。研究结果表明，子宫内膜异位症相关的慢性盆腔疼痛与刺激反应处理和抑制控制网络的改变有关，但由于重叠的认知控制和疼痛网络中的代偿性神经可塑性变化，行为表现并未受损。
