Stroman Patrick W, Staud Roland, Pukall Caroline F
Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 24;20(1):e0316672. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316672. eCollection 2025.
Altered neural signaling in fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We employed a novel fMRI network analysis method, Structural and Physiological Modeling (SAPM), which provides more detailed information than previous methods. The study involved brain fMRI data from participants with FM (N = 22) and a control group (HC, N = 18), acquired during a noxious stimulation paradigm. The analyses were supported by fMRI data from the brainstem and spinal cord in FM and HC, brain fMRI data from participants with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD), and eye-tracking data from an fMRI study of FM. The results demonstrate differences in connectivity, and in blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) responses, between FM and HC. In the FM group, BOLD signals underwent a large increase during the first 40 seconds of each fMRI run, prior to the application of any stimuli, compared to much smaller increases in HC. This indicates a heightened state of neural activity in FM that is sustained during fMRI runs, and dissipates between runs. The exaggerated initial rise was not observed in PVD. Autonomic functioning differed between groups. Pupil sizes were larger in FM than in HC, and the groups exhibited pupil dilation to the same levels during noxious stimulation. The initial BOLD increase varied in relation to state and trait anxiety scores. The results indicate that people with FM enter a heightened state of neural activity associated with anxiety and autonomic functioning, during every fMRI run, concurrent with increased pupil sizes, and heightened pain sensitivity. These findings may relate to the well-known hypervigilance and global hypersensitivity of FM participants.
采用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）对纤维肌痛综合征（FM）中改变的神经信号进行了研究。我们采用了一种新颖的fMRI网络分析方法，即结构与生理建模（SAPM），该方法比以前的方法能提供更详细的信息。这项研究涉及FM患者（N = 22）和对照组（HC，N = 18）在有害刺激范式期间获取的脑部fMRI数据。FM组和HC组脑干和脊髓的fMRI数据、诱发性前庭疼痛（PVD）患者的脑部fMRI数据以及FM的fMRI研究中的眼动追踪数据为这些分析提供了支持。结果表明，FM组和HC组在连通性以及血氧水平依赖（BOLD）反应方面存在差异。在FM组中，与HC组相比，在每次fMRI扫描的前40秒内，即在施加任何刺激之前，BOLD信号大幅增加。这表明FM患者在fMRI扫描期间神经活动处于增强状态，并在扫描之间消散。在PVD患者中未观察到这种夸张的初始上升。两组之间自主功能存在差异。FM组的瞳孔尺寸大于HC组，并且两组在有害刺激期间瞳孔扩张程度相同。初始BOLD增加与状态和特质焦虑评分有关。结果表明，FM患者在每次fMRI扫描期间都会进入与焦虑和自主功能相关的神经活动增强状态，同时瞳孔尺寸增大，疼痛敏感性增强。这些发现可能与FM患者众所周知的过度警觉和整体超敏反应有关。
