Executive functions and functioning in women with fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND

 Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain that is associated with sleep, emotional, and cognitive disturbances, including in executive functions (EFs).

OBJECTIVE

 To investigate the relationship between EFs and functionality in women with FM.

METHODS

 The study included 17 women with FM, aged between 30 and 59 years, with no history of neurological disease. The EFs were assessed using the Digit Span Subtest (DS), Five Digit Test, Trail Making Test (TMT), Corsi Block-Tapping Task, Hayling Test (HT), and Verbal Fluency Task. Functionality was evaluated through the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. The Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Brief Pain Inventory were used to measure depression, anxiety, and pain, which were controlled in the statistical analyses.

RESULTS

 The FM patients showed longer response latency on the HT and TMT. They made fewer errors on part B of the HT, and they performed worse on the DS backward and on the Corsi Block-Tapping Task forward and backward. There were moderate correlations in the expected direction between performance on the Corsi Block-Tapping Task backward and interference at work, as well as between the time to complete part B of the Trail Making Test - B (TMT-B) and fatigue. An unexpected relationship was found between errors on part B of the HT and interference at work.

CONCLUSION

 The results suggest lower efficiency in processes such as inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, difficulties in working memory and non-executive processes such as processing speed. Even with pain, anxiety, and depression controlled, some relationships between EFs and functionality were observed, indicating that these symptoms do not fully explain this relationship. We suggest that cognition, particularly EFs, and broader measures of functionality be considered in the evaluation of FM.

ANTECEDENTES

 A fibromialgia (FM) é uma condição crônica caracterizada por dor generalizada, associada a distúrbios do sono, emocionais e cognitivos, entre os quais os das funções executivas (FEs).

OBJETIVO

 Investigar a relação entre FEs e funcionalidade em mulheres com FM. MéTODOS:  O estudo incluiu 17 mulheres com FM, com idades entre 30 e 59 anos, sem histórico de doença neurológica. Para a avaliação das FEs, utilizou-se Subteste de

RESULTADOS

 Pacientes com FM apresentaram maior latência de resposta na TH e no TT. Elas cometeram menos erros na parte B da TH, e tiveram pior desempenho no SD em ordem inversa e na Tarefa dos Cubos de Corsi nas ordens direta e inversa. Houve relações moderadas, na direção esperada, entre a Tarefa dos Cubos de Corsi na ordem inversa e interferência no trabalho, assim como entre tempo até completar a parte B do Teste de Trilhas (TT) e fadiga. Encontrou-se uma relação inesperada entre erros na parte B da TH e interferência no trabalho. CONCLUSãO:  Os resultados sugerem menor eficiência em processos como controle inibitório e flexibilidade cognitiva, dificuldades na memória de trabalho e em processos não executivos, como velocidade de processamento. Mesmo com controle da dor, da ansiedade e da depressão, houve algumas relações entre FEs e funcionalidade, o que indica que esses sintomas não explicam completamente essa relação. Sugere-se considerar a cognição, particularmente as FEs, e medidas mais abrangentes de funcionalidade na avaliação da FM.

Informations de copyright

The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.