AUTHOR=Ciuffini Roberta , Cofini Vincenza , Muselli Mario , Necozione Stefano , Piroli Alba , Marrelli Alfonso 

TITLE=Emotional arousal and valence in patients with fibromyalgia: a pilot study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pain Research

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pain-research/articles/10.3389/fpain.2023.1075722

DOI=10.3389/fpain.2023.1075722

ISSN=2673-561X

ABSTRACT=The pathogenesis of pain in fibromyalgia is still not completely understood. A disrupted emotional modulation could affect the physiology of nociception and contributes to an altered perception of pain. The aim of the study was to test the role of the emotional arousal and valence in pain susceptibility in fibromyalgia using the International Affective Picture System paradigm and the Fibromyalgia Severity Scale. The study focused on comparing emotional arousal and valence between patients with fibromyalgia and the control group. The secondary objective  was to examine the correlation between emotional indices and scores on the Fibromyalgia Severity Scale and the duration of the disease.
Twenty patients enrolled showed a higher mean arousal score for all the stimuli, but more for unpleasant and socially unpleasant ones. The valence scores for social-relevant stimuli were also higher. Increased arousal to unpleasant and socially unpleasant images and increased valence of them correlates with the duration of the disease and the severity of FSS Symptom,  and could reflect impairment in social cognition and marked sensitivity to pain in interaction with central nociceptive dysregulation.