Differential dopamine function in fibromyalgia.
Approximately 30 % of Americans suffer from chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia (FM), which can cause debilitating pain. Many pain-killing drugs prescribed for chronic pain disorders are highly addictive, have limited clinical efficacy, and do not treat the cognitive symptoms reported by many patients. The neurobiological substrates of chronic pain are largely unknown, but evidence points to altered dopaminergic transmission in aberrant pain perception. We sought to characterize the dopamine (DA) system in individuals with FM. Positron emission tomography (PET) with [(18)F]fallypride (FAL) was used to assess changes in DA during a working memory challenge relative to a baseline task, and to test for associations between baseline D2/D3 availability and experimental pain measures. Twelve female subjects with FM and 11 female controls completed study procedures. Subjects received one FAL PET scan while performing a "2-back" task, and one while performing a "0-back" (attentional control, "baseline") task. FM subjects had lower baseline FAL binding potential (BP) in several cortical regions relative to controls, including anterior cingulate cortex. In FM subjects, self-reported spontaneous pain negatively correlated with FAL BP in the left orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. Baseline BP was significantly negatively correlated with experimental pain sensitivity and tolerance in both FM and CON subjects, although spatial patterns of these associations differed between groups. The data suggest that abnormal DA function may be associated with differential processing of pain perception in FM. Further studies are needed to explore the functional significance of DA in nociception and cognitive processing in chronic pain.
Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, R2 E124, 950 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Center for Neuroimaging, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Daniel S
DS
Albrecht
Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Palmer J
PJ
MacKie
Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, R2 E124, 950 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Center for Neuroimaging, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
David A
DA
Kareken
Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, R2 E124, 950 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Center for Neuroimaging, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Gary D
GD
Hutchins
Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, R2 E124, 950 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Center for Neuroimaging, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Evgeny J
EJ
Chumin
Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
Bradley T
BT
Christian
Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, R2 E124, 950 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. kkyoder@iupui.edu.|Center for Neuroimaging, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. kkyoder@iupui.edu.|Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. kkyoder@iupui.edu.|Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. kkyoder@iupui.edu.
Karmen K
KK
Yoder
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001549:Benzamides; D001931:Brain Mapping; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010147:Pain Measurement; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3 / Q000378:metabolism; D057566:Self Report
D001549:Benzamides; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; C574003:fallypride; D004298:Dopamine
Chronic pain; Dopamine; Fallypride; Fibromyalgia; Imaging; Pain; Positron emission tomography