Cited by 161Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesPsychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

The somatosensory link in fibromyalgia: functional connectivity of the primary somatosensory cortex is altered by sustained pain and is associated with clinical/autonomic dysfunction

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Kim, Jieun, Loggia, Marco L., Cahalan, Christine M., Harris, Richard E., Beissner, Florian, Garcia, Ronald G., Kim, Hyungjun, Barbieri, Riccardo +3 more·2015·Arthritis & Rheumatology

Abstract

Objective: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic functional pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain, significant pain catastrophizing, sympathovagal dysfunction, and amplified temporal summation for evoked pain. While several studies have demonstrated altered resting brain connectivity in FM, studies have not specifically probed the somatosensory system and its role in both somatic and nonsomatic FM symptoms. Our objective was to evaluate resting primary somatosensory cortex (S1) connectivity and to explore how sustained, evoked deep tissue pain modulates this connectivity. Methods: We acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiography data on FM patients and healthy controls during rest (the rest phase) and during sustained mechanical pressure–induced pain over the lower leg (the pain phase). Functional connectivity associated with different S1 subregions was calculated, while S1 leg connectivity (representation of the leg in the primary somatosensory cortex) was contrasted between the rest phase and the pain phase and was correlated with clinically relevant measures in FM. Results: During the rest phase, FM patients showed decreased connectivity between multiple ipsilateral and cross‐hemispheric S1 subregions, which was correlated with clinical pain severity. Compared to the rest phase, the pain phase produced increased S1 leg connectivity to the bilateral anterior insula in FM patients, but not in healthy controls. Moreover, in FM patients, sustained pain–altered S1 leg connectivity to the anterior insula was correlated with clinical/behavioral pain measures and autonomic responses. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that both somatic and nonsomatic dysfunction in FM, including clinical pain, pain catastrophizing, autonomic dysfunction, and amplified temporal summation, are closely linked with the degree to which evoked deep tissue pain alters S1 connectivity to salience/affective pain‐processing regions. Additionally, diminished connectivity between S1 subregions during the rest phase in FM may result from ongoing widespread clinical pain.

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  • Women report using catastrophizing, behavioral activities, positive self-statements, social and emotional support, and problem-focused coping more often than men.

    “compared to men, women have endorsed more frequent use of catastrophizing, behavioral activities, positive self-statements, social and emotional support, and problem-focused coping 148, 201–204.”

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Authors
Kim, J., Loggia, M. L., Cahalan, C. M., Harris, R. E., Beissner, F., Garcia, R. G., Kim, H., Barbieri, R., Wasan, A. D., Edwards, R. R., & Napadow, V.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Kim, Jieun
Venue
Arthritis & Rheumatology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2015-04-27
Volume
67
Issue
5
Pages
1395-1405
ISSN
  • 2326-5191 (ISSN-L)
  • 2326-5205
OpenAlex
W2132125609
Cited by
161
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 4
FWCI
11.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Arthritis & Rheumatology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
  • Virtual Community of Pathological Anatomy (University of Castilla La Mancha) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Repositorio Universidad de Santander (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH (P01-AT-006663, R01-AT-007550, R01-AR-064367, R21-AR-057920)
  • Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (K14290)
  • German Research Foundation (BE4677/1-1)
  • Arthritis Foundation and American College of Rheumatology
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Keywords
fibromyalgia, primary somatosensory cortex, resting-state functional connectivity, sustained pain, anterior insula, pain catastrophizing, temporal summation, autonomic dysfunction
MeSH terms
Adult, Cerebral Cortex, Electrocardiography, Female, Fibromyalgia, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Pain, Pain Measurement, Pressure, Severity of Illness Index, Somatosensory Cortex, Case-Control Studies, Primary Dysautonomias, Functional Neuroimaging

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