Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Oct 27;12(11):1452.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci12111452.

Decision Making and Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review

Federica Alfeo  1 , Diletta Decarolis  1 , Livio Clemente  2 , Marianna Delussi  2 , Marina de Tommaso  2 , Antonietta Curci  1 , Tiziana Lanciano  1
Affiliations
Review

Decision Making and Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review

Federica Alfeo et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Decision making (DM) is the ability to choose among multiple options, considering external and internal variables and identifying potential paths of action that need to be assessed. Some brain areas involved in decision making are also implicated in pain processing, such as in fibromyalgia (FM). FM is a syndrome characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and cognitive difficulties. We conducted a systematic review with the aim of identifying articles that evaluated DM in people with fibromyalgia, highlighting the main assessment tools. This work was conducted according to the PRISMA statement by consulting six online databases and providing a quality assessment of each search that met the inclusion criteria. In line with the limited interest in this in the scientific landscape to date, we found nine studies that evaluated the performance of DM in patients with FM; furthermore, we discovered that only certain types of DM were tested. The importance of our work lies in shedding light on a cognitive ability that is often undervalued in the scientific landscape but essential in everyday life. This review can serve as a starting point for further studies to clarify the relationship between DM and FM, improving understanding of the topic.

Keywords: chronic pain; decision making; executive functions; fibromyalgia; review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the selection process. * Studies not complying with the eligibility criteria were excluded.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vecchio E., Lombardi R., Paolini M., Libro G., Delussi M., Ricci K., Quitadamo S.G., Gentile E., Girolamo F., Iannone F., et al. Peripheral and central nervous system correlates in fibromyalgia. Eur. J. Pain. 2020;24:1537–1547. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1607. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bair M.J., Krebs E.E. Fibromyalgia. Ann. Intern. Med. 2020;172:ITC33. doi: 10.7326/AITC202003030. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wolfe F., Smythe H.A., Yunus M.B., Bennett R.M., Bombardier C., Goldenberg D.L., Sheon R.P. The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia. Report of the Multicenter Criteria Committee. Arthritis Rheum. 1990;33:160–172. doi: 10.1002/art.1780330203. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marques A.P., Santo A.D.S.D.E., Berssaneti A.A., Matsutani L.A., Yuan S.L.K. Prevalence of fibromyalgia: Literature review update. Rev. Bras. Reumatol. Engl. Ed. 2017;57:356–363. doi: 10.1016/j.rbr.2016.10.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kravitz H.M., Katz R.S. Fibrofog and fibromyalgia: A narrative review and implications for clinical practice. Rheumatol. Int. 2015;35:1115–1125. doi: 10.1007/s00296-014-3208-7. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources