This study analyzed variability in cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and its association with emotional, clinical and functional variables and medication use in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
Using ...transcranial Doppler sonography, CBFV were bilaterally recorded in the anterior (ACA) and middle (MCA) cerebral arteries of 44 FMS patients and 31 healthy individuals during a 5-min resting period. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing pain, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
Fast Fourier transformation revealed a spectral profile with four components: (1) a first very low frequency (VLF) component with the highest amplitude at 0.0024 Hz; (2) a second VLF component around 0.01-to-0.025 Hz; (3) a low frequency (LF) component from 0.075-to-0.11 Hz; and (4) a high frequency (HF) component with the lowest amplitude from 0.25-to-0.35 Hz. Compared to controls, FMS patients exhibited lower LF and HF CBFV variability in the MCAs (p < .005) and right ACA (p = .03), but higher variability at the first right MCA (p = .04) and left ACA (p = .005) VLF components. Emotional, clinical and functional variables were inversely related to LF and HF CBFV variability (r≥-.24, p≤.05). However, associations for the first VLF component were positive (r≥.28, p≤.05). While patients´ medication use was associated with lower CBFV variability, comorbid depression and anxiety disorders were unrelated to variability.
Lower CBFV variability in the LF and HF ranges were observed in FMS, suggesting impaired coordination of cerebral regulatory systems. CBFV variability was differentially associated with clinical variables as a function of time-scale, with short-term variability being related to better clinical outcomes. CBFV variability analysis may be a promising tool to characterize FMS pathology and it impact on facets of HRQoL.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and diffuse tenderness, accompanied by complaints including morning stiffness, fatigue, insomnia and ...affective symptoms. In addition, affected patients frequently experience cognitive impairments such as concentration difficulties, forgetfulness or problems in planning and decision-making. These deficits are commonly ascribed to interference between nociceptive and cognitive processing.
The present study investigated the association of cognitive performance with (a) pain responses to low intensity pressure stimulation (0.45-2.25 kg/cm2), (b) responses to stronger (above-threshold) stimulation (2.70 kg/cm2), and (c) pain threshold and tolerance in 42 women with FMS. Tests of attention, memory, processing speed, and executive functions were applied.
While no significant correlations were seen for pain threshold and pain tolerance, inverse associations arose between pain intensity ratings during pressure stimulation and performance in all evaluated cognitive domains. The magnitude of the correlations increased with decreasing stimulus intensity.
It may be concluded that pain experience during somatosensory stimulation of low intensity is more closely related to attention, memory and executive functions in FMS than the traditional measures of pain threshold and pain tolerance. Considering that pain responses to low intensity stimulation reflect the hyperalgesia and allodynia phenomena characterizing FMS, it may be hypothesized that central nervous pain sensitization is involved in cognitive impairments in the disorder.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Cerebral blood flow dysregulation may mediate cognitive impairments in hypotension.•Blood flow in the middle cerebral arteries was investigated in a precued Stroop task.•Reduced flow velocity ...modulations arose in hypotension during response preparation.•Hypotensives showed increased response time but not stronger colour word inference.
In addition to complaints including fatigue, mood disturbance, dizziness or cold limbs, chronic low blood pressure (hypotension) is associated with reduced cognitive performance. Deficiencies in cerebral blood flow regulation may contribute to this impairment. This study investigated cerebral blood flow modulations during proactive control in hypotension. Proactive control refers to cognitive processes during anticipation of a behaviourally relevant event that allow optimization of readiness to react. Using functional transcranial Doppler sonography, bilateral blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral arteries were recorded in 40 hypotensive and 40 normotensive participants during a precued Stroop task. Hypotensive participants exhibited smaller bilateral blood flow increases during response preparation and longer response time. The group differences in blood flow and response time did not vary by executive function load, i.e. congruent vs. incongruent trials. Over the total sample, the flow increase correlated negatively with response time in trials with a higher executive function load. The findings indicate reduced cerebral blood flow adjustment during both the basic and more complex requirements of proactive control in hypotension. They also suggest a general deficit in attentional function and processing speed due to low blood pressure and cerebral hemodynamic dysregulations rather than particular impairments in executive functions.
This study investigated effects of experimental baroreceptor stimulation on bilateral blood flow velocities in the anterior and middle cerebral arteries (ACA and MCA) using functional transcranial ...Doppler sonography. Carotid baroreceptors were stimulated by neck suction in 33 healthy participants. Therefore, negative pressure (- 50 mmHg) was applied; neck pressure (+ 10 mmHg) was used as a control condition. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were also continuously recorded. Neck suction led to reductions in bilateral ACA and MCA blood flow velocities, which accompanied the expected HR and BP decreases; HR and BP decreases correlated positively with the ACA flow velocity decline. The observations suggest reduction of blood flow in the perfusion territories of the ACA and MCA during baroreceptor stimulation. Baroreceptor-related HR and BP decreases may contribute to the cerebral blood flow decline. The findings underline the interaction between peripheral and cerebral hemodynamic regulation in autoregulatory control of cerebral perfusion.
The study investigated interactions between autonomic cardiovascular regulation and cortical activity. In 54 healthy subjects, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were ...assessed at resting conditions. As an EEG indicator of cortical excitability, the contingent negative variation (CNV) was induced using a constant foreperiod reaction time task. At bivariate level, only RSA showed a moderate positive correlation with the CNV recorded at frontal electrodes. However, when common variance of BRS and RSA was controlled for in multiple regression analysis, an inverse association between BRS and the frontal CNV also arose. The inverse association between BRS and the CNV is discussed as reflecting bottom‐up modulation of cortical excitability by baroreceptor afferents. The positive correlation between RSA and the CNV may relate to the interplay between prefrontal processing and cardiac vagal tone.
Objective. This study analyzed the temporal dynamics of cerebral blood flow (CBF) modulations, during painful stimulation in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), using functional transcranial Doppler ...sonography.
Method. Blood flow velocities were recorded bilaterally in the anterior (ACA) and middle (MCA) cerebral arteries of 24 FMS patients and 20 healthy individuals during exposure to painful pressure stimulation. Participants were presented with two stimulation blocks: a) fixed pressure (2.4 kg) and b) stimulation pressure, individually calibrated to produce equal subjective and moderate pain intensity in all participants.
Results. A complex pattern of CBF modulations arose, comprising four main components: an anticipatory increase before stimulation onset, an early increase, a transient decrease to baseline or below, and a final increase. Group differences were observed in all components. The anticipatory component only arose in FMS patients, specifically in the ACA. Patients exhibited a greater early CBF increase under the fixed pressure condition, predominantly in the right ACA. A stronger CBF decrease after the early component was observed in patients during the equal pain condition, in the ACA and MCA. Significant associations were found between clinical pain severity and CBF responses in the MCA.
Conclusions. The results demonstrate that acute pain processing is associated with a complex pattern of CBF modulation, where FMS patients exhibited alterations in all phases of the response. The aberrances may be ascribed to psychophysiological phenomena, including central nervous nociceptive sensitization and protective-defensive reflex mechanisms. The anticipatory CBF response in patients may relate to various cognitive, emotional, and behavioral mechanisms involved in pain chronification.
In the present study cerebral blood flow was assessed in 40 subjects with chronically low blood pressure and 40 normotensive controls at resting conditions and during the execution of a cued reaction ...time task. Blood flow velocities were recorded by means of transcranial Doppler sonography in both middle cerebral arteries. In hypotensives flow velocity at rest was reduced bilaterally. During the anticipation of the stimuli, which the subjects had to respond to, a predominantly right hemispheric increase of flow velocity was observed in both groups. This increase was significantly less pronounced in the hypotensive group. Hypotensives showed longer reaction times, and there was a negative correlation between the extent of the flow velocity increase and the reaction times. This study is the first to demonstrate a reduced cerebral perfusion and maladaption of blood flow to cognitive demands due to essential hypotension.
Autonomic cardiovascular regulation and cortical tone Duschek, Stefan; Wörsching, Jana; Reyes del Paso, Gustavo A.
Clinical physiology and functional imaging,
September 2015, Letnik:
35, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Summary
This study aimed to investigate interactions between tonic cortical arousal and features of autonomic cardiovascular regulation. In 50 healthy subjects, the power spectrum of the spontaneous ...EEG was obtained at resting state. Concurrently, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and R‐wave to pulse interval (RPI) were recorded as indices of cardiovascular control. At the bivariate level, only a negative correlation between beta power recorded at frontal electrode positions and RPI was found. However, when common variance of BRS and RSA was controlled for in multiple regression analyses, a positive association between alpha power and RSA, and an inverse relationship with BRS, also arose. The findings concerning RPI and RSA are suggestive of a relationship between higher levels of cortical tone and increased sympathetic and reduced vagal cardiac influences. The inverse association between BRS and alpha activity may reflect bottom‐up modulation of cortical arousal by baroreceptor afferents.
Anger has been associated with increased pain perception, but its specific connection with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) has not yet been established in an integrated approach. Therefore, the present ...systematic review focuses on exploring this connection, and based on this connection, delimiting possible gaps in the research, altogether aimed at improving FMS clinical intervention and guiding future research lines. Anger is considered a basic negative emotion that can be divided into two dimensions: anger-in (the tendency to repress anger when it is experienced) and anger-out (the leaning to express anger through verbal or physical means). The current systematic review was performed based on the guidelines of the PRISMA and Cochrane Collaborations. The Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) international database was forehand used to register the review protocol. The quality of chosen articles was assessed and the main limitations and research gaps resulting from each scientific article were discussed. The search included PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The literature search identified 13 studies eligible for the systematic review. Levels of anger-in have been shown to be higher in FMS patients compared to healthy participants, as well as patients suffering from other pain conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). FMS patients had also showed higher levels of state and trait anxiety, worry and angry rumination than other chronic pain patients. Anger seems to amplify pain especially in women regardless FMS condition but with a particularly greater health-related quality of life´s impact in FMS patients. In spite of the relevance of emotions in the treatment of chronic pain, including FMS, only two studies have proposed intervention programs focus on anger treatment. These two studies have observed a positive reduction in anger levels through mindfulness and a strength training program. In conclusion, anger might be a meaningful therapeutic target in the attenuation of pain sensitivity, and the improvement of the general treatment effects and health-related quality of life in FMS patients. More intervention programs directed to reduce anger and contribute to improve well-being in FMS patients are needed.
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