Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for Fibromyalgia Pain and Physical Function, Using Brain Imaging Biomarkers
Published on: January 5, 2024
Autonomic dysfunction and neuropeptide Y in fibromyalgia
M Di Franco1, C Iannuccelli, C Alessandri
1Unit of Rheumatology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. manuela.difranco@uniroma1.it
Objectives:
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome associated with widespread pain and various other signs and symptoms. Several of these multisystem features could be explained on the basis of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction.
Methods:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate ANS dysfunction in FM based on time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) analysis and serum neuropeptide Y (NPY) levels in 51 patients with FM, 25 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 15 healthy controls (NHS).
Results:
Compared with the SSc and NHS groups, the FM group had significantly higher NPY levels, and in the FM subgroup subjected to HRV analysis (25/51 patients, 49%), certain HRV indices were significantly reduced. In this subgroup, NPY was significantly correlated with the SDANN index and the NN50, but neither NPY or HRV parameters showed any significant correlation with clinical aspects of the FM.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that autonomic dysfunction and NPY are crucial elements in the pathophysiology of FM. Additional studies are necessary to define the complex roles played by NPY and ANS in modulating pain and immunological functions of different diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Myasthenia Gravis ll: Pathophysiology
Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud's phenomenon, is a...
Chemical Synapses
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Chemical Synapses
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Neural Regulation

