Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Current Rheumatology Reviews

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-3971
ISSN (Online): 1875-6360

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Research Article

Reaction Time in Fibromyalgia Patients

Author(s): Basant K. Puri*, Gary S. Lee and Armin Schwarzbach

Volume 20, Issue 5, 2024

Published on: 19 January, 2024

Page: [514 - 521] Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/0115733971276641231201055731

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: Fibromyalgia has unknown aetiology and is associated with reduced information processing speed and therefore prolonged reaction time. However, the processes underlying this are unknown.

Objectives: First, to compare the reaction time in a cohort of fibromyalgia patients and a matched group of normal controls. Second, to assess whether detailed symptoms of pain and autonomic function, as well as measures of tinnitus, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection are predictors of reaction time in fibromyalgia.

Methods: The between-groups mean serial five-choice reaction time difference was assessed in a cohort of fibromyalgia patients and in a matched group of normal controls in an analytical casecontrolled study. With the mean serial five-choice reaction time as the dependent variable for the fibromyalgia group, a mixed stepwise multiple linear regression was performed with inputs relating to pain, dysautonomia, tinnitus, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Results: The mean (standard error) serial five-choice reaction time for the fibromyalgia group was 448.4 (23.0) ms, compared with 386.3 (8.3) ms for the control group (p = 0.007). The final multiple linear regression model (p < 0.001; adjusted R2 = 0.772) contained 13 predictors: eight sensory pain and three affective pain parameters, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgG and IgA assay results.

Conclusion: Certain sensory and affective pain parameters, as well as Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, appear to be predictors of reaction time in fibromyalgia. Further research into the pathophysiological mechanisms by which they affect information processing is warranted and may shed light on the aetiology of fibromyalgia.

« Previous Next »
Graphical Abstract

[1]
Bair MJ, Krebs EE. Fibromyalgia. Ann Intern Med 2020; 172(5): ITC33-48.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.7326/AITC202003030] [PMID: 32120395]
[2]
Martínez-Lavín M. Management of dysautonomia in fibromyalgia. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 2002; 28(2): 379-87.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0889-857X(01)00015-1] [PMID: 12122925]
[3]
Kravitz HM, Katz RS. Fibrofog and fibromyalgia: A narrative review and implications for clinical practice. Rheumatol Int 2015; 35(7): 1115-25.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00296-014-3208-7] [PMID: 25583051]
[4]
Glass JM. Fibromyalgia and cognition. J Clin Psychiatry 2008; 69 (Suppl. 2): 20-4.
[PMID: 18537459]
[5]
Etnier JL, Karper WB, Gapin JI, Barella LA, Chang YK, Murphy KJ. Exercise, fibromyalgia, and fibrofog: A pilot study. J Phys Act Health 2009; 6(2): 239-46.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.6.2.239] [PMID: 19420402]
[6]
Torta RGV, Tesio V, Ieraci V, Castelli L, Zizzi FB. Fibro-fog. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2016; 34(2) (Suppl. 96): S6-8.
[PMID: 27049627]
[7]
Leavitt F, Katz RS, Mills M, Heard AR. Cognitive and dissociative manifestations in fibromyalgia. J Clin Rheumatol 2002; 8(2): 77-84.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00124743-200204000-00003] [PMID: 17041327]
[8]
Walitt B, Čeko M, Khatiwada M, et al. Characterizing “fibrofog”: Subjective appraisal, objective performance, and task-related brain activity during a working memory task. Neuroimage Clin 2016; 11: 173-80.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2016.01.021] [PMID: 26955513]
[9]
Katz RS, Heard AR, Mills M, Leavitt F. The prevalence and clinical impact of reported cognitive difficulties (fibrofog) in patients with rheumatic disease with and without fibromyalgia. J Clin Rheumatol 2004; 10(2): 53-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.rhu.0000120895.20623.9f] [PMID: 17043464]
[10]
Feliu-Soler A, Reche-Camba E, Borràs X, et al. Psychometric properties of the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ) in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. Front Psychol 2017; 8: 2075.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02075] [PMID: 29321750]
[11]
Schmidt-Wilcke T, Wood P, Lürding R. Cognitive impairment in patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Schmerz 2010; 24(1): 46-53.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00482-009-0872-8] [PMID: 20108102]
[12]
Serrano PV, Zortea M, Alves RL, et al. Association between descending pain modulatory system and cognitive impairment in fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional exploratory study. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16: 917554.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.917554] [PMID: 36248031]
[13]
Weber T, Tatzl E, Kashofer K, et al. Fibromyalgia-associated hyperalgesia is related to psychopathological alterations but not to gut microbiome changes. PLoS One 2022; 17(9): e0274026.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274026] [PMID: 36149895]
[14]
Bernardi L, Bertuccelli M, Formaggio E, et al. Beyond physiotherapy and pharmacological treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome: Tailored tACS as a new therapeutic tool. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021; 271(1): 199-210.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01214-y] [PMID: 33237361]
[15]
Kratz AL, Whibley D, Kim S, Williams DA, Clauw DJ, Sliwinski M. The role of environmental distractions in the experience of fibrofog in real-world settings. ACR Open Rheumatol 2020; 2(4): 214-21.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11130] [PMID: 32237225]
[16]
Kratz AL, Whibley D, Kim S, Sliwinski M, Clauw D, Williams DA. Fibrofog in daily life: An examination of ambulatory subjective and objective cognitive function in fibromyalgia. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2020; 72(12): 1669-77.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.24089] [PMID: 31609548]
[17]
Duarte JM, Crow C, Antik A, Appiani F, Caride A. Fibromyalgia and dissociative symptoms. CNS Spectr 2019; 24(6): 605-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1092852918001608] [PMID: 30894235]
[18]
Pidal-Miranda M, González-Villar AJ, Carrillo-de-la-Peña MT, Andrade E, Rodríguez-Salgado D. Broad cognitive complaints but subtle objective working memory impairment in fibromyalgia patients. PeerJ 2018; 6: e5907.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5907] [PMID: 30498630]
[19]
Leavitt F, Katz RS. Cross-sectional neurocognitive data do not support a transition from fibrofog to Alzheimer disease in fibromyalgia patients. J Clin Rheumatol 2015; 21(2): 81-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/RHU.0000000000000213] [PMID: 25710859]
[20]
Heidari F, Afshari M, Moosazadeh M. Prevalence of fibromyalgia in general population and patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatol Int 2017; 37(9): 1527-39.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00296-017-3725-2] [PMID: 28447207]
[21]
Marques AP, Santo ASE, Berssaneti AA, Matsutani LA, Yuan SLK. Prevalence of fibromyalgia: Literature review update. Rev Bras Reumatol Engl Ed 2017; 57(4): 356-63.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rbre.2017.01.005] [PMID: 28743363]
[22]
Cabo-Meseguer A, Cerdá-Olmedo G, Trillo-Mata JL. Fibromyalgia: Prevalence, epidemiologic profiles and economic costs. Med Clin 2017; 149(10): 441-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.medcli.2017.06.008] [PMID: 28734619]
[23]
Clauw DJ. Fibromyalgia. JAMA 2014; 311(15): 1547-55.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.3266] [PMID: 24737367]
[24]
Sarzi-Puttini P, Giorgi V, Marotto D, Atzeni F. Fibromyalgia: An update on clinical characteristics, aetiopathogenesis and treatment. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2020; 16(11): 645-60.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41584-020-00506-w] [PMID: 33024295]
[25]
Häuser W, Ablin J, Fitzcharles MA, et al. Fibromyalgia. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2015; 1(1): 15022.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2015.22] [PMID: 27189527]
[26]
Sumpton JE, Moulin DE. Fibromyalgia. Handb Clin Neurol 2014; 119: 513-27.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-7020-4086-3.00033-3] [PMID: 24365316]
[27]
Berwick R, Barker C, Goebel A. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. Clin Med 2022; 22(6): 570-4.
[PMID: 36427885]
[28]
Queiroz LP. Worldwide epidemiology of fibromyalgia. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2013; 17(8): 356.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0356-5] [PMID: 23801009]
[29]
Bell T, Trost Z, Buelow MT, et al. Meta-analysis of cognitive performance in fibromyalgia. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2018; 40(7): 698-714.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2017.1422699] [PMID: 29388512]
[30]
Chocholle R. Variation des temps de réaction auditifs en fonction de l’intensité à diverses fréquences. Annee Psychol 1940; 41(1): 65-124.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/psy.1940.5877]
[31]
Apkarian AV, Bushnell MC, Treede RD, Zubieta JK. Human brain mechanisms of pain perception and regulation in health and disease. Eur J Pain 2005; 9(4): 463-84.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpain.2004.11.001] [PMID: 15979027]
[32]
Baliki MN, Chialvo DR, Geha PY, et al. Chronic pain and the emotional brain: Specific brain activity associated with spontaneous fluctuations of intensity of chronic back pain. J Neurosci 2006; 26(47): 12165-73.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3576-06.2006] [PMID: 17122041]
[33]
Reyes del Paso GA, Montoro CI, Duschek S. Reaction time, cerebral blood flow, and heart rate responses in fibromyalgia: Evidence of alterations in attentional control. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2015; 37(4): 414-28.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2015.1023265] [PMID: 25825849]
[34]
Melzack R. The McGill pain questionnaire: Major properties and scoring methods. Pain 1975; 1(3): 277-99.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(75)90044-5] [PMID: 1235985]
[35]
Solano C, Martinez A, Becerril L, et al. Autonomic dysfunction in fibromyalgia assessed by the composite autonomic symptoms scale (COMPASS). J Clin Rheumatol 2009; 15(4): 172-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/RHU.0b013e3181a1083d] [PMID: 19342959]
[36]
Kang JH, Kim JK, Hong SH, Lee CH, Choi BY. Heart rate variability for quantification of autonomic dysfunction in fibromyalgia. Ann Rehabil Med 2016; 40(2): 301-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5535/arm.2016.40.2.301] [PMID: 27152281]
[37]
Rizzi M, Atzeni F, Airoldi A, et al. Impaired lung transfer factor in fibromyalgia syndrome. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2016; 34(2) (Suppl. 96): S114-9.
[PMID: 27157396]
[38]
Puri BK, Lee GS. Clinical assessment of autonomic function in fibromyalgia by the refined and abbreviated composite autonomic symptom score (COMPASS 31): A case-controlled study. Rev Recent Clin Trials 2022; 17(1): 53-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1574887116666210612033002] [PMID: 34126910]
[39]
Robinson L, Kimpinski K. Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension impairs information processing speed and attention. Physiol Behav 2019; 211: 112682.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112682] [PMID: 31526820]
[40]
Puri BK, Lee GS. Tinnitus in fibromyalgia. P R Health Sci J 2021; 40(4): 188-91.
[PMID: 35077079]
[41]
Huang CY, Li DS, Tsai MH, Chen CH, Cheng YF. The impact of acute tinnitus on listening effort: A study based on clinical observations of sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19(6): 3661.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063661] [PMID: 35329346]
[42]
Wu YL, Chang LY, Lee HC, Fang SC, Tsai PS. Sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia: A meta-analysis of case-control studies. J Psychosom Res 2017; 96: 89-97.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.03.011] [PMID: 28545798]
[43]
Merlhiot G, Bueno M. How drowsiness and distraction can interfere with take-over performance: A systematic and meta-analysis review. Accid Anal Prev 2022; 170: 106536.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106536] [PMID: 34969510]
[44]
Irwin C, Khalesi S, Desbrow B, McCartney D. Effects of acute caffeine consumption following sleep loss on cognitive, physical, occupational and driving performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108: 877-88.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.008] [PMID: 31837359]
[45]
Nasralla M, Haier J, Nicolson GL. Multiple mycoplasmal infections detected in blood of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia syndrome. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1999; 18(12): 859-65.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s100960050420] [PMID: 10691196]
[46]
Nicolson GL, Nasralla M, Haier J, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic mycoplasmal infections in Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Relationship to Gulf War Illness. Biomed Ther 1998; 16: 266-71.
[47]
Kammer J, Ziesing S, Davila L, et al. Neurological manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in hospitalized children and their long-term follow-up. Neuropediatrics 2016; 47(5): 308-17.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1584325] [PMID: 27299367]
[48]
Termine C, Uggetti C, Veggiotti P, et al. Long-term follow-up of an adolescent who had bilateral striatal necrosis secondary to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Brain Dev 2005; 27(1): 62-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.braindev.2004.03.010] [PMID: 15626544]
[49]
Capizzi G, Vittorini R, Torta F, et al. Lidocaine treatment in refractory status epilepticus resulting from febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome: A case report and follow-up. Neuropediatrics 2014; 46(1): 065-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1389898] [PMID: 25343330]
[50]
Wolfe F, Smythe HA, Yunus MB, et al. The american college of rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheum 1990; 33(2): 160-72.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.1780330203] [PMID: 2306288]
[51]
Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Fitzcharles MA, et al. 2016 Revisions to the 2010/2011 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2016; 46(3): 319-29.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.08.012] [PMID: 27916278]
[52]
Melzack R, Raja SN. The McGill pain questionnaire: From description to measurement. Anesthesiology 2005; 103(1): 199-202.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00000542-200507000-00028] [PMID: 15983473]
[53]
Sletten DM, Suarez GA, Low PA, Mandrekar J, Singer W. COMPASS 31: A refined and abbreviated composite autonomic symptom score. Mayo Clin Proc 2012; 87(12): 1196-201.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.10.013] [PMID: 23218087]
[54]
Newman CW, Jacobson GP, Spitzer JB. Development of the tinnitus handicap inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1996; 122(2): 143-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140029007] [PMID: 8630207]
[55]
Chalder T, Berelowitz G, Pawlikowska T, et al. Development of a fatigue scale. J Psychosom Res 1993; 37(2): 147-53.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(93)90081-P] [PMID: 8463991]
[56]
Krupp LB, LaRocca NG, Muir-Nash J, Steinberg AD. The fatigue severity scale. Application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Arch Neurol 1989; 46(10): 1121-3.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1989.00520460115022] [PMID: 2803071]
[57]
Johns MW. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth sleepiness scale. Sleep 1991; 14(6): 540-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleep/14.6.540] [PMID: 1798888]
[58]
Tabatabaei MS, Ahmed M. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2508: 115-34.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2376-3_10] [PMID: 35737237]
[59]
Robbins TW, James M, Owen AM, Sahakian BJ, McInnes L, Rabbitt P. Cambridge neuropsychological test automated battery (CANTAB): A factor analytic study of a large sample of normal elderly volunteers. Dementia 1994; 5(5): 266-81.
[PMID: 7951684]
[60]
Robbins T. The 5-choice serial reaction time task: behavioural pharmacology and functional neurochemistry. Psychopharmacology 2002; 163(3-4): 362-80.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-002-1154-7] [PMID: 12373437]
[61]
R Core Team: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing 2022.
[62]
JASP (Version 01721). University of Amsterdam 2023.
[63]
Fox J, Weisberg S. An R Companion to Applied Regression. (3rd ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage 2019.
[64]
Bengtsson H, Bravo H, Gentleman R, et al. matrixStats: Functions that Apply to Rows and Columns of Matrices (and to Vectors). R package version 0522 2017.
[65]
Zeileis A, Hothorn T. Diagnostic checking in regression relationships. R News 2002; 2: 7-10.
[66]
Carvalho GF, Becnel AR, Miske C, Szikszay TM, Adamczyk WM, Luedtke K. Postural control impairment in patients with headaches—A systematic review and meta-analysis. Headache 2022; 62(3): 241-70.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/head.14281] [PMID: 35315066]
[67]
Rio EK, Stanton TR, Wand BM, et al. Implicit motor imagery of the foot and hand in people with Achilles tendinopathy: A left right judgement study. Pain Med 2021; 22(12): 2998-3007.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnab261] [PMID: 34519819]
[68]
Kishore A, Popa T, James P, Krishnan S, Robert S, Meunier S. Severity of writer’s cramp is related to faulty motor preparation. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28(10): 3564-77.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx228] [PMID: 28968878]
[69]
Peters KJ, Maslovat D, Carlsen AN. Slowed reaction times in cognitive fatigue are not attributable to declines in motor preparation. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240(11): 3033-47.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06444-1] [PMID: 36227342]
[70]
Zhou X, Xu T, Zeng Y, et al. The angiotensin antagonist losartan modulates social reward motivation and punishment sensitivity via modulating midbrain-striato-frontal circuits. J Neurosci 2023; 43(3): 472-83.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1114-22.2022] [PMID: 36639890]
[71]
Nicolson GL, Nicolson NL. Gulf War illnesses: Complex medical, scientific and political paradox. Med Confl Surviv 1998; 14(2): 156-65.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13623699808409384] [PMID: 9633269]
[72]
Turner MP, Hubbard NA, Himes LM, et al. Cognitive slowing in gulf war illness predicts executive network hyperconnectivity: study in a population-representative sample. Neuroimage Clin 2016; 12: 535-41.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2016.08.022] [PMID: 27672557]
[73]
Hering NA, Fromm M, Schulzke JD. Determinants of colonic barrier function in inflammatory bowel disease and potential therapeutics. J Physiol 2012; 590(5): 1035-44.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.224568] [PMID: 22219336]
[74]
Pabst O, Slack E. IgA and the intestinal microbiota: The importance of being specific. Mucosal Immunol 2020; 13(1): 12-21.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41385-019-0227-4] [PMID: 31740744]
[75]
Schneider E, Doll JPK, Schweinfurth N, et al. Effect of short-term, high-dose probiotic supplementation on cognition, related brain functions and BDNF in patients with depression: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2023; 48(1): E23-33.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/jpn.220117] [PMID: 36653035]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy