Lower Resting-State Alpha Reactivity in Chronic Widespread Pain Compared to At-Risk and Healthy Individuals

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pain Research
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Chronic widespread pain (CWP), characteristic of Fibromyalgia (FM), lacks clear understanding.
• Altered cortical oscillation power in resting-state Electroencephalogram (EEG) is noted in chronic pain.
• It remains unknown if individuals at high risk for CWP display FM-like EEG patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resting-state spectral power differences in individuals at high risk for CWP.
• To compare EEG features between Fibromyalgia (FM) patients, at-risk individuals (AR), and healthy controls (HC).
• To examine alpha reactivity and its association with physiological markers in at-risk individuals.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional observational study comparing three groups: FM (n=19), AR (n=21), and HC (n=17).
• Resting-state EEG recordings (eyes-open/closed) to assess spectral power and alpha reactivity.
• Risk factors for AR group included non-CWP pain, somatic symptoms, illness behavior, and sleep issues.

Main Results:

• Alpha reactivity was significantly lower in the FM group compared to both AR and HC groups.
• Individuals at high risk (AR) did not exhibit FM-like resting alpha physiology; their patterns resembled HC.
• A positive correlation between right-frontal alpha reactivity and morning salivary cortisol was observed in the AR group.

Conclusions:

• Contrary to expectations, individuals at high risk for CWP do not show FM-like resting EEG alpha physiology.
• The findings suggest that AR individuals' alpha reactivity patterns are similar to healthy controls.
• The association between alpha reactivity and cortisol in AR individuals may indicate resilience to CWP.