CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 71Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchPain Mechanisms and TreatmentsGastrointestinal motility and disorders

Animal models of fibromyalgia: What is the best choice?

Brum, Evelyne Silva, Becker, Gabriela, Fialho, Maria Fernanda Pessano, Oliveira, Sara Marchesan·2022·Pharmacology & Therapeutics
DOI 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107959
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex syndrome, with an indefinite aetiology and intricate pathophysiology that affects 2 - 3% of the world population. From the beginning of the 2000s, experimental animal models have been developed to mimic clinical FM and help obtain a better understanding of the relevant neurobiology. These animal models have enabled a broad study of FM symptoms and mechanisms, as well as new treatment strategies. Current experimental FM models include the reserpine-induced systemic depletion of biogenic amines, muscle application of acid saline, and stress-based (cold, sound, or swim) approaches, among other emerging models. FM models should: (i) mimic the cardinal symptoms and complaints reported by FM patients (e.g., spontaneous nociception, muscle pain, hypersensitivity); (ii) mimic primary comorbidities that can aggravate quality of life and lead to worse outcomes (e.g., fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety); (iii) mimic the prevalent pathological mechanisms (e.g., peripheral and central sensitization, inflammation/neuroinflammation, change in the levels of the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters); and (iv) demonstrate a pharmacological profile similar to the clinical treatment of FM. However, it is difficult for any one of these models to include the entire spectrum of clinical FM features once even FM patients are highly heterogeneous. In the past six years (2015 - 2020), a wide range of experimental FM studies has amounted to the literature reinforcing the need for an updated review. Here we have described, in detail, several approaches used to experimentally study FM, with a focus on recent studies in the field and in previously less discussed mechanisms. We highlight each model's challenges, limitations, and future directions, intending to help preclinical researchers establish the correct experimental FM model to use depending on their goals.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107959

Cites

257 of 257 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • A few symptomatic animal models have been realized in rodents. The most studied ones include stress-based methods, acid saline muscle application, and biogenic amine depletion by subcutaneous reserpine injection.

    “The most studied ones include stress-based methods, acid saline muscle application, and biogenic amine depletion by subcutaneous reserpine injection [158].”

    From Fibromyalgia pathogenesis explained by a neuroendocrine multistable model (2024) · cites this paper as [158]

  • These models respond to pharmacological treatments having some effect on FM patients, like pregabalin and SNRIs.

    “These models respond to pharmacological treatments having some effect on FM patients, like pregabalin and SNRIs [158]”

    From Fibromyalgia pathogenesis explained by a neuroendocrine multistable model (2024) · cites this paper as [158]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

6 of the 263 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Brum, E. S., Becker, G., Fialho, M. F. P., & Oliveira, S. M.
Affiliations
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR)
Corresponding author
Oliveira, Sara Marchesan
ORCID
Venue
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-02
Volume
230
Pages
107959
ISSN
0163-7258 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107959
OpenAlex
W3182795747
Cited by
71
References
263
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 1
FWCI
2.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Pharmacology & Therapeutics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
Keywords
fibromyalgia, animal models, cold stress, sound stress, swim stress, central sensitization, peripheral sensitization, neuroinflammation, fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, neurotransmitters, model selection
MeSH terms
Animals, Anxiety Disorders, Disease Models, Animal, Fibromyalgia, Humans, Quality of Life, Sleep Wake Disorders

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review