Examinando por Autor "Barjola, Paloma"

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Altered Subprocesses of Working Memory in Patients with Fibromyalgia: An Event-Related Potential Study Using N-Back Task
(Oxford, 2021-06-19) Mercado , Francisco; Ferrera , David; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Peláez, Irene; Barjola, Paloma
Objective Cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia has become a key symptom considered by patients as more disabling than pain itself. Experimental evidence from neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies indicates that such cognitive impairments are especially robust when patients need to set in motion working memory processes, suggesting the existence of an altered functioning underlying the cerebral cortices of the frontoparietal memory network. However, the temporal dynamics of working memory subprocesses have not yet been explored in fibromyalgia. Subjects Thirty-six right-handed women participated in the experiment, comprising 18 patients with fibromyalgia and 18 healthy controls. Methods Event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral responses were recorded while participants were engaged in a two-back working memory task. Principal component analyses were used to define and quantify the ERP components associated with working memory processes. Results Patients with fibromyalgia exhibited worse performance than the control group, as revealed by their number of errors in the working memory task. Moreover, both scalp parieto-occipital P2 and parieto-occipital P3 amplitudes were lower for patients than for healthy control participants. Regression analyses revealed that lower P3 amplitudes were observed in those patients with fibromyalgia reporting higher pain ratings. Conclusions The present results suggest that both encoding of information (as reflected by P2) and subsequently context updating and replacement (as seen in lower P3 amplitudes), as a part of working memory subprocesses, are impaired in fibromyalgia. Studying the temporal dynamics of working memory through the use of ERP methodology is a helpful approach to detect specific impaired cognitive mechanisms in this chronic pain syndrome. These new data could be used to develop more specific treatments adapted for each patient.
Decreased Pain Perception by Unconscious Emotional Pictures
(Frontiers Media, 2016-10-21) Peláez, Irene; Martínez-Íñigo, David; Barjola, Paloma; Cardoso, Susana; Mercado, Francisco
La percepción del dolor surge de una interacción compleja entre un estímulo nociceptivo y diversos factores emocionales y cognitivos, los cuales parecen estar mediados por sistemas tanto automáticos como controlados. Evidencia previa ha demostrado que, mientras el procesamiento consciente de estímulos desagradables intensifica la percepción del dolor, se sabe mucho menos sobre las influencias emocionales en el dolor bajo condiciones no conscientes. El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar la modulación de la percepción del dolor mediante imágenes emocionales no conscientes a través de un paradigma de enmascaramiento emocional. Se emplearon dos tipos de estimulación, tanto somatosensorial (dolorosa y no dolorosa) como emocional (imágenes negativas y neutrales). Cincuenta participantes sin dolor fueron instruidos para calificar la percepción del dolor que sentían en respuesta a estímulos somatosensoriales inducidos por láser lo más rápido posible. Se midieron los datos de intensidad del dolor y los tiempos de reacción. Los análisis estadísticos revelaron un efecto significativo en la interacción entre el dolor y la estimulación emocional, aunque sorprendentemente esta relación fue opuesta a la esperada. En particular, se encontraron puntuaciones de menor intensidad del dolor y tiempos de reacción más largos en respuesta a imágenes negativas, con un efecto aún más pronunciado en la estimulación dolorosa. Estos hallazgos sugieren una clara modulación de la percepción del dolor por contextos emocionales no conscientes. Mecanismos de captura atencional desencadenados por la estimulación negativa no consciente podrían explicar este fenómeno, al provocar un retiro de los recursos de procesamiento del dolor.
Effects of COMT Genotypes on Working Memory Performance in Fibromyalgia Patients
(MDPI, 2020-08-01) Ferrera, David; Gómez-Esquer, Francisco; Peláez, Irene; Barjola, Paloma; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Carpio, Alberto; De Lahoz, María Eugenia; Díaz-Gil, Gema; Mercado, Francisco
Growing research has reported the presence of a clear impairment of working memory functioning in fibromyalgia. Although different genetic factors involving dopamine availability (i.e, the COMT gene) have been associated with the more severe presentation of key symptoms in fibromyalgia, scientific evidence regarding the influence of COMT genotypes on cognitive impairment in these patients is still lacking. To this end, 167 participants took part in the present investigation. Working memory performance was assessed by the application of the SST (Spatial Span Test) and LNST (Letter and Number Sequence Test) belonging to the Weschler Memory Scale III. Significant working memory impairment was shown by the fibromyalgia patients. Remarkably, our results suggest that performance according to different working memory measures might be influenced by different genotypes of the COMT gene. Specifically, fibromyalgia patients carrying the Val/Val genotype exhibited significantly worse outcomes for the span of SST backward, SST backward score, SST total score and the Working Memory Index (WMI) than the Val/Val healthy carriers. Furthermore, the Val/Val patients performed worse on the SST backward and SST score than heterozygotes. Our findings are the first to show a link between the COMT gene and working memory dysfunction in fibromyalgia, supporting the idea that higher COMT enzyme activity would contribute to more severe working memory impairment in fibromyalgia.
Fear of pain moderates the relationship between self-reported fatigue and methionine allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene in patients with fibromyalgia
(Public Library of Science, 2021-04-28) Ferrera, David; Mercado, Francisco; Peláez, Irene; Martínez-Íñigo, David; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Barjola, Paloma; Écija, Carmen; Díaz-Gil, Gema; Gómez-Esquer, Francisco
Previous research has shown a consistent association among genetic factors, psychological symptoms and pain associated with fibromyalgia. However, how these symptoms interact to moderate genetic factors in fibromyalgia has rarely been studied to date. The present research investigates whether psychological symptoms can moderate the effects of catechol-O-methyltransferase on pain and fatigue. A total of 108 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 77 healthy control participants took part in the study. Pain, fatigue, and psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain and fear of movement) were measured by self-report questionnaires. Two types of statistical analyses were performed; the first was undertaken to explore the influences of COMT genotypes on clinical symptoms by comparing patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. In the second analysis, moderation analyses to explore the role of psychological symptoms as potential factors that moderate the relationship between pain/fatigue and COMT genotypes were performed. The main results indicated that patients carrying the Met/Met genotype reported significantly higher levels of fatigue than heterozygote carriers (i.e., Met/Val genotype) and higher levels of fatigue, but not significantly different, than Val homozygote carriers. Among patients with fibromyalgia carrying methionine alleles (i.e., Met/Met + Met/Val carriers), only those who scored high on medical fear of pain, experienced an intensified feeling of fatigue. Thus, the present research suggests that fear of pain, as a psychological symptom frequently described in fibromyalgia may act as a moderating factor in the relationship between the Met allele of the COMT gene and the increase or decrease in self-reported fatigue. Although further research with wider patient samples is needed to confirm the present findings, these results point out that the use of psychological interventions focused on affective symptomatology might be a useful tool to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia.
Neural correlates of an early attentional capture by positive distractor words
(Frontiers in Psychology, 2015) Hinojosa, José Antonio; Mercado, Francisco; Albert, Jacobo; Barjola, Paloma; Peláez, Irene; Villalba-García, Cristina; Carretié, Luis
La atención exógena o automática a distractores emocionales se ha observado en escenas y rostros emocionales. Sin embargo, en el ámbito del lenguaje, la captura automática de la atención por palabras emocionales ha sido poco investigada. En el presente estudio de potenciales relacionados con eventos, exploramos los efectos de los distractores provocados por palabras positivas, negativas y neutrales en un paradigma de distractores y objetivos concurrentes pero distintos. Específicamente, los participantes realizaron una tarea de categorización de dígitos en la que palabras irrelevantes para la tarea estaban flanqueadas por números. Los resultados de los análisis de componentes principales temporoespaciales y de localización de fuentes revelaron la existencia de efectos tempranos de los distractores, desencadenados específicamente por palabras positivas. A nivel del cuero cabelludo, las palabras distractoras positivas, en comparación con las neutrales y negativas, provocaron amplitudes más grandes en un componente negativo anterior que alcanzó su punto máximo alrededor de los 120 ms. Además, a nivel de vóxel, las palabras distractoras positivas aumentaron la actividad en regiones orbitofrontales en comparación con las palabras negativas. Estos resultados sugieren que las palabras distractoras positivas capturan rápida y automáticamente los recursos atencionales, desviándolos de la tarea en la que la atención estaba dirigida voluntariamente.
Neural correlates of the attentional bias towards pain-related faces in fibromyalgia patients: An ERP study using a dot-probe task
(Elsevier, 2021) Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Ferrera, David; Peláez, Irene; Martín-Buro, María Carmen; Carpio, Alberto; Lahoz, María Eugenia de; Barjola, Paloma; Mercado, Francisco
Background One of the major cognitive deficits in fibromyalgia has been linked to the hypervigilance phenomenon. It is mainly reflected as a negative bias for allocating attentional resources towards both threatening and pain-related information. Although the interest in its study has recently grown, the neural temporal dynamics of the attentional bias in fibromyalgia still remains an open question. Method Fifty participants (25 fibromyalgia patients and 25 healthy control subjects) performed a dot-probe task. Two types of facial expressions (pain-related and neutral) were employed as signal stimuli. Then, as a target stimulus, a single dot replaced the location of one of these two faces. Event-related potentials (ERP) in response to facial expressions and target stimulation (i.e., dot) were recorded. Reaction time (RT) and accuracy measures in the experimental task were collected as behavioural outcomes. Results Temporal dynamics of brain electrical activity were analysed on two ERP components (P2 and N2a) sensitive to the facial expressions meaning. Pain-related faces elicited higher frontal P2 amplitudes than neutral faces for the whole sample. Interestingly, an interaction effect between group and facial expressions was also found showing that pain-related faces elicited enhanced P2 amplitudes (at fronto-central regions, in this case) compared to neutral faces only when the group of patients was considered. Furthermore, higher P2 amplitudes were observed in response to pain-related faces in patients with fibromyalgia compared to healthy control participants. Additionally, a shorter latency of P2 (at centro-parietal regions) was also detected for pain-related facial expressions compared to neutral faces. Regarding the amplitude of N2a, it was lower for patients as compared to the control group. Non-relevant effects of the target stimulation on the ERPs were found. However, patients with fibromyalgia exhibited slower RT to locate the single dot for incongruent trials as compared to congruent and neutral trials. Conclusions Data suggest the presence of an attentional bias in fibromyalgia that it would be followed by a deficit in the allocation of attentional resources to further process pain-related information. Altogether the current results suggest that attentional biases in fibromyalgia might be explained by automatic attentional mechanisms, which seem to be accompanied by an alteration of more strategic or controlled attentional components.
Pain E-motion Faces Database (PEMF): Pain-related micro-clips for emotion research
(Springer, 2022) Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Carpio, Alberto; Ferrera, David; Ryckeghem, Dimitri Van; Peláez, Irene; Barjola, Paloma; Lahoz, María Eugenia De; Martín-Buro, María Carmen; Hinojosa, José Antonio; Damme, Stefaan Van; Carretié, Luis; Mercado, Francisco
A large number of publications have focused on the study of pain expressions. Despite the growing knowledge, the availability of pain-related face databases is still very scarce compared with other emotional facial expressions. The Pain E-Motion Faces Database (PEMF) is a new open-access database currently consisting of 272 micro-clips of 68 diferent identities. Each model displays one neutral expression and three pain-related facial expressions: posed, spontaneous-algometer and spontaneous-CO2 laser. Normative ratings of pain intensity, valence and arousal were provided by students of three diferent European universities. Six independent coders carried out a coding process on the facial stimuli based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), in which ratings of intensity of pain, valence and arousal were computed for each type of facial expression. Gender and age efects of models across each type of micro-clip were also analysed. Additionally, participants’ ability to discriminate the veracity of pain-related facial expressions (i.e., spontaneous vs posed) was explored. Finally, a series of ANOVAs were carried out to test the presence of other basic emotions and common facial action unit (AU) patterns. The main results revealed that posed facial expressions received higher ratings of pain intensity, more negative valence and higher arousal compared with spontaneous pain-related and neutral faces. No diferential efects of model gender were found. Participants were unable to accurately discriminate whether a given pain-related face represented spontaneous or posed pain. PEMF thus constitutes a large open-source and reliable set of dynamic pain expressions useful for designing experimental studies focused on pain processes.
Recursos cognitivos de percepción de control, procesos
(Psichotema, 2009) González, José Luis; Peñacoba, Cecilia; Velasco, Lilian; López, Almudena; Mercado, Francisco; Barjola, Paloma
El presente estudio evalúa un modelo estructural de relaciones entre los recursos cognitivos de control percibido sobre la enfermedad (expectativas de autoeficacia y lugar de control interno de dolor), el estado de estrés-recuperación y el malestar afectivo en mujeres con fibromialgia (n= 130). Los resultados fueron consistentes con la propuesta de que el balance de estrés-recuperación media la relación entre los recursos cognitivos y el malestar afectivo. Asimismo, se observó la presencia de un efecto directo por parte de los recursos cognitivos sobre la limitación funcional, mientras que la intensidad de dolor y los otros síntomas de enfermedad fueron directamente predictores del malestar afectivo. Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, se señala la posible interpretación de una buena parte de las técnicas cognitivo-conductuales utilizadas habitualmente para el tratamiento de la fibromialgia, como herramientas orientadas a la búsqueda del correcto equilibrio entre estrés y recuperación, resultandofundamental para ello la modificación de las creencias de autoeficacia y las expectativas de control.
Subliminal emotional pictures are capable of modulating early cerebral responses to pain in fibromyalgia
(Public Library of Science, 2019-06-05) Peláez, Irene; Ferrera, David; Barjola, Paloma; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Mercado, Francisco
Pain experience involves a complex relationship between sensory and both emotional and cognitive factors, which appear to be mediated by different neural pathways. Previous evidence has shown that whereas conscious processing of unpleasant stimuli enhances pain perception, the influence of emotions on pain under unaware conditions is much less known. The need to better characterise the relationship between pain processing and emotional factors is crucial for dealing with chronic pain conditions. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the neural correlates relating to the influence of visual masking emotional stimulation on the processing of painful stimuli in chronic pain patients suffering from fibromyalgia (FM). Twenty FM and 22 healthy control (HC) women participated in the study. The experimental masking paradigm consisted of a rapid succession of two types of stimuli, where a masked picture (neutral, negative or pain-related) was followed by a laser stimulus (painful or not painful). LEP activity was recorded at sixty scalp electrodes. An LEP-amplitude approach was used to quantify the main cerebral waves linked to pain response. ANOVAs indicated that the posterior regions of the P1 component were sensitive to experimental manipulation (p<0.05). Specifically, FM patients showed higher amplitudes to painful stimuli preceded by pain-related pictures compared with painful trials preceded by other emotional pictures. The FM group also showed greater amplitudes than those in the HC group in P2a and P2b waves. In addition to the scalp data, at the neural level the posterior cingulate cortex, lingual gyrus and insular cortex showed higher activation in the FM group than in the HC group. Our findings show an early cerebral modulation of pain (as reflected by the P1) in FM patients, suggesting that only pain-related information, even when it is unconsciously perceived, is capable to enhance exogenous (automatic) attention, increasing the neural activity involved in processing painful stimulation. Further research is needed to fully understand unconscious emotional influences on pain in fibromyalgia.
Unveiling the Role of Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) in Migraine: A Review of Electrophysiological Studies in Adults and Children
(MDPI, 2023-11-11) De Lahoz , Maria Eugenia; Barjola, Paloma; Peláez, Irene; Ferrera, David; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Mercado, Francisco
Migraine has been considered a chronic neuronal-based pain disorder characterized by the presence of cortical hyperexcitability. The Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) is the most explored electrophysiological index in migraine. However, the findings show inconsistencies regarding its functional significance. To address this, we conducted a review in both adults and children with migraine without aura to gain a deeper understanding of it and to derive clinical implications. The literature search was conducted in the PubMed, SCOPUS and PsycINFO databases until September 2022m and 34 articles were retrieved and considered relevant for further analysis. The main results in adults showed higher CNV amplitudes (with no habituation) in migraine patients. Electrophysiological abnormalities, particularly focused on the early CNV subcomponent (eCNV), were especially prominent a few days before the onset of a migraine attack, normalizing during and after the attack. We also explored various modulatory factors, including pharmacological treatments—CNV amplitude was lower after the intake of drugs targeting neural hyperexcitability—and other factors such as psychological, hormonal or genetic/familial influences on CNV. Although similar patterns were found in children, the evidence is particularly scarce and less consistent, likely due to the brain’s maturation process during childhood. As the first review exploring the relationship between CNV and migraine, this study supports the role of the CNV as a potential neural marker for migraine pathophysiology and the prediction of pain attacks. The importance of further exploring the relationship between this neurophysiological index and childhood migraine is critical for identifying potential therapeutic targets for managing migraine symptoms during its development.
Working memory dysfunction in fibromyalgia is associated with genotypes of the catechol- O-methyltransferase gene: an event-related potential study
(Springer, 2022) Ferrera, David; Gómez-Esquer, Francisco; Peláez, Irene; Barjola, Paloma; Fernandes-Magalhaes, Roberto; Carpio, Alberto; Lahoz, María Eugenia De; Martín-Buro, María Carmen; Mercado, Francisco
Recent fndings have associated diferent COMT genotypes with working memory capacity in patients with fbromyalgia. Although it is thought that the COMT gene may infuence neural correlates (P2 and P3 ERP components) underlying working memory impairment in this chronic-pain syndrome, it has not yet been explored. Therefore, the aim of the present research was to investigate the potential efect of the COMT gene in fbromyalgia patients on ERP working memory indices (P2 and P3 components). For this purpose, 102 participants (51 patients and 51 healthy control participants) took part in the experiment. Event-related potentials and behavioral responses were recorded while participants performed a spatial n-back task. Participants had to decide if the stimulus coincided or not in the same location as the one presented one (1-back condition) or two (2-back condition) trials before. Genotypes of the COMT gene were determined through a saliva sample from all participants. Present results signifcantly showed lower working memory performance (p<0.05) in patients with fbromyalgia as compared to control participants (higher rate of errors and slower reaction times). At neural level, we found that patients exhibited enhanced frontocentral and parieto-occipital P2 amplitudes compared to control participants (p<0.05). Interestingly, we also observed that only fbromyalgia patients carrying the Val/Val genotype of the COMT gene showed higher frontocentral P2 amplitudes than control participants (p<0.05). Current results (behavioral outcomes and P2 amplitudes) confrmed the presence of an alteration in working memory functioning in fbromyalgia. The enhancement of frontocentral P2 could be refecting that these patients would manifest an inefcient way of activating executive attention processes, in carriers of the Val/Val genotype of COMT. To our knowledge, the present fndings are the frst linking neural indices of working memory dysfunctions and COMT genotypes in fbromyalgia. Applying a subgroup of patient’s strategy based on this genetic marker could be useful to establish more tailored therapeutical approaches.