Altered sensory nerve excitability in fibromyalgia

Hao-Wen Teng; Jowy Tani; Tsui-San Chang; Hung-Ju Chen; Yi-Chen Lin; Cindy Shin-Yi Lin; Jia-Ying Sung

doi:10.1016/j.jfma.2021.02.003

Altered sensory nerve excitability in fibromyalgia

J Formos Med Assoc. 2021 Aug;120(8):1611-1619. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2021.02.003. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Authors

Hao-Wen Teng¹, Jowy Tani², Tsui-San Chang³, Hung-Ju Chen³, Yi-Chen Lin³, Cindy Shin-Yi Lin⁴, Jia-Ying Sung⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Cheng-Ching Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
² Department of Neurology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan.
³ Department of Neurology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan; Translational Research Collectives, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Brain & Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: sung.jiaying@tmu.edu.tw.

PMID: 33642123
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2021.02.003

Abstract

Background/purpose: To investigate nerve excitability changes in patients with fibromyalgia and the correlation with clinical severity.

Methods: We enrolled 20 subjects with fibromyalgia and 22 sex and age-matched healthy subjects to receive nerve excitability test and nerve conduction study to evaluate the peripheral axonal function.

Results: In the fibromyalgia cohort, the sensory axonal excitability test revealed increased superexcitability (%) (P = 0.029) compared to healthy control. Correlational study showed a negative correlation between increased subexcitability (%) (r = -0.534, P = 0.022) with fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) score. Computer modeling confirmed that the sensory axon excitability pattern we observed in fibromyalgia cohort was best explained by increased Barrett-Barrett conductance, which was thought to be attributed to paranodal fast K⁺ channel dysfunction.

Conclusion: The present study revealed that paranodal sensory K⁺ conductance was altered in patients with fibromyalgia. The altered conductance indicated dysfunction of paranodal fast K⁺ channels, which is known to be associated with the generation of pain.

Keywords: Fibromyalgia; Nerve excitability; Pain; Potassium channel; Superexcitability.

MeSH terms

Axons
Cohort Studies
Computer Simulation
Fibromyalgia*
Humans
Neural Conduction
Neurologic Examination