ABSTRACT
Chronic pain is associated with worse mental health and cognitive impairment, which can be a cause or a consequence of brain structure and function alterations, e.g., maladaptive plasticity, antinociceptive system dysregulation. Cognitive reserve reflects the effectiveness of the internal connections of the brain and it has been shown to be a protective factor in brain damage, slowing cognitive aging or reducing the risk of mental health disorders. The current study explored the impact of chronic pain on psychosocial factors, mental health, and cognition. Furthermore, we aimed to examine the role of cognitive reserve in the relationship between mental health and chronic pain clinical characteristics in middle-aged adults. The study group consisted of 477 volunteers from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative who completed online surveys on pain, mental health, cognitive reserve, and psychosocial factors (sleep and quality of life). We described the differences in sociodemographic data, psychosocial factors, mental health, and self-perceived cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological assessment, between participants reporting pain compared with those without pain, as well as the main characteristics of the chronic pain group. Finally, to study the role of cognitive reserve in the modulation of the relationship between chronic pain and mental health, we compared variables between subgroups of participants with high/low pain intensity and cognitive reserve. The results showed that chronic pain was reported by 45.5% of middle-aged adults. Our results revealed that participants with chronic pain were older and had worse health status than people without pain. The presence of chronic pain affected working memory, mental health, and daily life activities. Moreover, cognitive reserve moderated the influence of pain intensity on mental health, resulting in less mental health affection in people suffering from high pain intensity with high cognitive reserve. In conclusion, the construct of the cognitive reserve could explain differential susceptibility between chronic pain and its mental health association and be a powerful tool in chronic pain assessment and treatment, principally due to its modifiable nature.
ABSTRACT
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently followed by a variety of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms, which affect the patient's daily life, their social relations, and their work/educational status. In addition to function measures, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has received increasing attention as an important outcome after TBI, as it may guide rehabilitation and evaluate treatment success. Here, we report on psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the quality of life after brain injury (QoLIBRI) questionnaire, a disease-specific instrument to assess HRQoL in patients after TBI. Classical test theory, item response theory, and structural equation modeling were used to evaluate psychometric properties of the Spanish QoLIBRI translation in a convenience sample of N = 155 patients with TBI. A subset of n = 23 patients were tested twice with a test-retest interval of ≤2 weeks. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were high (Cronbach's α: 0.78-0.96; ICCs: 0.81-0.96). Rasch analysis infit (range 0.52-1.20) and outfit indices (range 0.50-1.17) supported unidimensionality of subscales, whereas SEM analysis tended to support a correlated six-factor model (CFI = .88, RMSEA = .068, 95% confidence interval [.061, .075]). Results show favorable psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the QoLIBRI, comparable to the international version. It is, thus, a useful instrument for clinicians and researchers assessing the impact of TBI on quality of life, the outcomes of rehabilitation, and may be included in epidemiological surveys.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adolescent , Adult , Emotions , Female , Health Status , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Mental Health , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Spain , Translating , Young AdultABSTRACT
Introducción. La fibromialgia es un síndrome de dolor crónico difuso musculoesquelético multisintomático, con evidencias de una disfunción del sistema nervioso central. Consecuentemente, técnicas de estimulación cerebral no invasiva, como la estimulación transcraneal con corriente directa (tDCS), pueden ser un recurso terapéutico complementario para reducir la percepción de dolor. Objetivos. Revisar la potencial efectividad de la tDCS para reducir el dolor en la fibromialgia, identificar los parámetros más efectivos de neuroestimulación y delimitar su seguridad. Pacientes y métodos. Revisión sistemática de estudios prospectivos registrados en PubMed y revisiones Cochrane. Resultados. La tDCS anódica de la corteza motora primaria izquierda, a 2 mA durante 20 minutos con electrodos de 35 cm2 durante cinco días consecutivos, es la que proporciona mejores resultados en la reducción del dolor (14-59%) y mejora de la calidad del sueño, con mayor acentuación en el quinto día. La mejora clínica persiste hasta un mínimo de 60 días (11-20% de reducción del dolor). Se tolera bien y tiene escasos efectos adversos. Conclusiones. La experiencia con la tDCS en fibromialgia es todavía limitada. No obstante, la tDCS anódica en la corteza motora primaria izquierda puede recomendarse con un nivel B (probable eficacia terapéutica) y podría actuar mediante la modificación del procesamiento sensorial del dolor de circuitos inhibitorios talámicos (AU)
Introduction. Fibromyalgia is a multisymptomatic diffuse chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome with evidence of central nervous system dysfunction. Accordingly, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a complementary therapeutic resource to reduce pain perception. Aims. To review the potential effectiveness of tDCS to reduce pain in fibromyalgia, to identify the most effective neurostimulation parameters and to delimit its safety. Patients and methods. Systematic review of prospective studies reported in PubMed and Cochrane reviews. Results. The anodal tDCS of the left primary motor cortex, at 2mA for 20 minutes with 35 cm2 electrodes on five consecutive days, provides better results in reducing pain (14-59%), and improving sleep quality, with greater accentuation on the fifth day. The clinical improvement persists up to a minimum of 60 days (11-20% reduction of pain). Adverse effects are well tolerated and few. Conclusions. The experience with tDCS in fibromyalgia is still limited. However, the anodal tDCS in the left primary motor cortex can be recommended with level B (probable therapeutic efficacy) and appears to act through the modification of the sensorial processing of the pain of thalamic inhibitory circuitry (AU)
