Memory complaints and cognitive performance in fibromyalgia and chronic pain: The key role of depression

Abstract

To explore the relationship between perceived cognitive problems and cognitive performance in three different samples, taking into account the possible influence of depression, catastrophizing, pain intensity, or medication. Seventy individuals with fibromyalgia, 74 with non‐malignant chronic pain and 40 pain‐free controls, completed measures of verbal episodic memory, sustained attention, response inhibition, depression, catastrophizing, and pain intensity. Fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients performed worse than controls in verbal memory and sustained attention, but these differences disappeared when depressed participants were excluded from the analyses. Memory complaints were related with depression in all pain patients. However, in the case of fibromyalgia, memory complaints were also related by pain intensity and inversely related by short‐term episodic memory. This case‐control study shows the importance of jointly assessing cognitive performance and memory complaints and of controlling for variables such as depression, catastrophizing, pain intensity and medication in the studied samples. Accordingly, this study highlights the differences in memory complaints, between the patients with fibromyalgia and the patients with other chronic pain conditions. Finally, it has highlighted the important role played by depression in cognitive performance and memory complaints considering the Neurocognitive Model of Attention to pain.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Cognitive Decline: The Role of Body Mass Index and Clinical Symptoms

“…Although at first glance the lack of differences in verbal memory between FM and healthy participants may seem striking, the literature on this matter is in fact inconsistent. Indeed, and in accordance with the present findings, Castel et al [ 30 , 76 ] did not find differences in verbal memory (as measured by the TAVEC) between FM patients and controls. These discrepant results may be explained in part by differences in the dependent variables (i.e., TAVEC conditions) selected to index verbal memory performance.…”

“…It is also important to mention that, in the present study, the effect of BMI was controlled for in the group comparisons, and that BMI significantly affected verbal memory performance (see below a further discussion of this issue). In conclusion, not all studies have demonstrated differences in verbal memory between FM and healthy participants (e.g., [ 27 , 30 , 32 , 76 ] for negative results). More research is needed to shed light on the verbal memory performance of FM patients.…”

“…Although short- and long-term implicit and working memory deficits, as well as slowness to complete complex cognitive tasks (i.e., executive control and emotional recognition tasks) have been confirmed [ 9 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], the results remain controversial. While most studies point to general deficits in information processing speed; selective and sustained attention; and visuospatial, verbal, and semantic memory in FM patients compared to healthy participants [ 5 , 13 , 18 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], others observed no substantial cognitive deficits in association with FM [ 27 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Kognition und Kraftfahreignung bei chronischem Schmerzsyndrom

“…Dieser Unterschied zeigte sich im Vergleich zu Menschen mit neuropathischen Schmerzen und zu gemischten Schmerzen und blieb trotz Berücksichtigung von komorbiden affektiven und Angstsymptomen bestehen [ 97 ]. Menschen mit Fibromyalgie klagen auch stärker über Gedächtnisstörungen und depressive Symptome als Menschen mit anderen chronischen Schmerzformen [ 24 , 87 , 104 ]. Bei generalisiertem und neuropathischem Schmerz wird ein größerer Effekt auf die Kognition angenommen als bei lokalem Schmerz [ 64 ].…”

The influence of psychological pain on purchase decision under different price contexts: An EEG study.

“…Emotional experience mainly refers to the negative emotions caused by pain, such as anxiety, fear, and anger, which can lead to the ACC activation (Banik et al, 2010; Wiech & Tracey, 2009; Zheng et al, 2018). Numerous studies have shown that pain can impair some cognitive functions, such as the speed of individual information processing, working memory, and executive function (Castel et al, 2021; Lee et al, 2010; Verdejo-García et al, 2009). This impairment effect might be due to the common brain regions involved in psychological pain and cognitive functions.…”