Assessing working memory function in individuals with fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction, known as "fibro-fog".
• Subjective memory complaints are a significant concern for fibromyalgia patients, yet objective cognitive research is limited.
• Existing studies often use small sample sizes and examine cognition broadly, necessitating focused research on specific memory domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze objective working memory performance in adults with fibromyalgia.
• To specifically investigate verbal and visual working memory modalities in fibromyalgia.
• To provide a comprehensive understanding of fibromyalgia's impact on objective memory functions.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across six major databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline).
• Included studies featured adult fibromyalgia and healthy control groups with standardized working memory assessments.
• Twenty-nine high-quality studies were selected for meta-analysis after screening 8358 papers.

Main Results:

• Individuals with fibromyalgia demonstrated significantly impaired verbal working memory compared to healthy controls (effect size g = -0.66).
• No significant differences in visual working memory performance were observed between groups.
• Subgroup analyses revealed working memory impairments in both verbal and visual domains for female fibromyalgia patients.

Conclusions:

• Fibromyalgia is associated with modality-specific working memory deficits, particularly affecting verbal tasks.
• These objective findings support the subjective experience of cognitive difficulties, or "fibro-fog", in fibromyalgia.
• Further research is needed to explore the impact of these working memory deficits on higher-order cognitive functions and inform treatment strategies.