FM Patients’ Pain and Memory Problems May Be Related To Their Brain Structure

New research suggests that patients’ brain structures may be related to their fibromyalgia symptoms.

Ask anyone with fibromyalgia how many times someone has said to them “It’s all in your head,” and you might be surprised to hear how often that dismissive phrase pops up in their lives. But for once, the generally misinformed public might have accidentally gotten the diagnosis correct!

The Fibromyalgia Research Blog cites recent research in Brain, a peer-reviewed journal written by and for neurologists. The journal recently published a study which found correlations between the brain structure of patients with fibromyalgia, and their experience of pain and cognitive dysfunction. In other words, the brains of people with fibromyalgia may be structured in such a way as to cause or exacerbate symptoms of nerve pain, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and trouble expressing themselves verbally.

[Reseachers] found that non-verbal working memory performance was positively correlated with the amount of grey matter in the left dorsolateral prefontal cortex, and verbal working memory performance “was positively correlated with grey matter values in the supplementary motor cortex…The researchers conclude that the study’s results provide clear evidence of memory and attention problems in fibromyalgia as well as the correlation of both pain and neurocognitive problems with brain structure…

While the type of brain-imaging used in the study is not available to the general public, the implications for better understanding and treatments for patients with fibromyalgia remain clear. So the next time someone tells you or your loved one that the symptoms are all in her or his head, refer them to the article and say “You’re right!”