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Cognitive Impairment in Fibromyalgia

  • Fibromyalgia (M Peres, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cognitive and behavioral impairments are core manifestations of fibromyalgia and may be more disabling than pain itself. Involvement of the central nervous system is ascertained by the fact that frontoparietal and limbic cortices are often functionally and structurally affected along the course of this disease. Even though neuroimaging has brought some experimental evidence to support such network disruption, there are currently no clinically effective biomarkers that detect and quantify cognitive and behavioral disturbances in fibromyalgia; thus, traditional scales and tests of neuropsychiatric assessment remain the most important diagnostic tools. This review addresses the most common cognitive and behavioral impairments in people with fibromyalgia, while explaining their pathophysiological basis and currently available therapeutic options.

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Recently published papers of particular interest have been highlighted as:• Of importance •• Of major importance

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci has received personal compensation for consultancy services to Novartis, Janssen, Lilly and Pfizer.

Dr. Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira receives a scholarship from CAPES – Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior for academic research, and serves as a Healthcare Council Member for Gerson Lehrman Group.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci & Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira

  2. Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Botucatu 740, Vila Clementino,, CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci

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Correspondence to Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Fibromyalgia

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Bertolucci, P.H.F., de Oliveira, F.F. Cognitive Impairment in Fibromyalgia. Curr Pain Headache Rep 17, 344 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0344-9

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