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A preliminary investigation of dissociation between subjective cognitive complaints and objective cognitive impairments in female patients with fibromyalgia: a role of information processing speed
C.-C. Yang1, Y.-P. Keung2, C.-H. Wu3, W.-Z. Sun4, C.-P. Lin5
- Department of Psychology, National Chengchi University, Taipei, and Holistic Mental Health Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Department of Psychology, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Department of Psychology, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan. wuch@nccu.edu.tw
- Department of Anaesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei; Department of Anaesthesiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, and Department of Anaesthesiology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Department of Anaesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, and Department of Anaesthesiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. cplin0123@gmail.com
CER17724
2024 Vol.42, N°6
PI 1230, PF 1239
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PMID: 38966942 [PubMed]
Received: 28/03/2024
Accepted : 11/06/2024
In Press: 25/06/2024
Published: 04/07/2024
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterised by widespread pain, and cognitive difficulties represent one of the most common symptoms of FM. However, subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) may not necessarily indicate significant abnormalities in objective cognitive performances, and there is limited research investigating the relationship between these two aspects. This study thus aims to analyse the differences between SCC and objective cognitive performance in FM patients and to explore their associations.
METHODS:
A total of 32 FM female patients (age: 50.91±7.06; years since diagnosis: 4.34±4.53) recruited in this study underwent a comprehensive assessment covering four domains: pain, depression, trait anxiety, SCC, and objective cognitive functions (memory, executive function, and information processing speed).
RESULTS:
Eighty-seven percent of patients experienced significant negative impacts from pain; meanwhile, 91% and 62% showed marked tendencies towards trait anxiety and depression, respectively. Additionally, 56% of patients reported significantly higher levels of SCC. However, less than one-third of patients demonstrated impairments in various cognitive functions. SCC significantly correlated with pain intensity, depression, information processing speed, and trait anxiety, with pain intensity being a significant predictor (R2=.30). Furthermore, patients with significant SCC exhibited more abnormalities in pain, information processing speed, and trait anxiety compared to those without significant SCC.
CONCLUSIONS:
SCC may not necessarily correlate with objective cognitive impairments and might be specifically linked to defective information processing speed. It thus merits that clinical assessments for FM patients should incorporate measurements of information processing speed to gain a comprehensive understanding of SCC in FM patients.
