Psychological and Brain Function Study of Chronic Pain in Fibromyalgia, Chronic Migraine, and Combined Conditions with Treatment Evaluation

What this Trial Is About

This research focuses on chronic pain conditions, specifically fibromyalgia FM and chronic migraine CM, which often involve nociplastic pain characterized by altered pain processing without obvious tissue damage. The study aims to identify distinctive psychological and neurofunctional patterns in people with FM, CM, and those with both conditions FibroMig to improve chronic pain management. It also evaluates how brief psychodynamic treatments may influence pain severity, mental health symptoms, and quality of life. Participants are divided into three groups receiving different interventions over four months Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy DIT with 16 weekly sessions, Expressive Writing Therapy TSE with 8 biweekly sessions, and a control group receiving usual medical care with two brief specialist visits. The study includes two main parts one observes psychological and brain function differences among groups, and the other tests the effectiveness of the psychotherapeutic treatments on various measures. Throughout the study, participants complete surveys at enrollment, after the interventions, and six months post-intervention to assess pain severity, symptom severity, mental pain, anxiety and depression, central sensitization, alexithymia, and quality of life. Additional baseline assessments include personality traits, trauma history, and attachment style. The research helps understand chronic pain mechanisms and evaluates psychological therapies impact over a total participation time of about 10 months.

Relieving Chronic Pain: Psychosomatic Mechanisms and Psychological Interventions in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Headache