Motor Cortex Function in Fibromyalgia: A Study by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Previous studies indicated changes of motor cortex excitability in fibromyalgia (FM) patients and the positive results of transcranial stimulation techniques. The present study aimed to explore the metabolism of motor cortex in FM patients, in resting state and during slow and fast finger tapping, using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), an optical method which detects in real time the metabolism changes in the cortical tissue. We studied 24 FM patients and 24 healthy subjects. We found a significant slowness of motor speed in FM patients compared to controls. During resting state and slow movement conditions, the metabolism of the motor areas was similar between groups. The oxy…
Effects of Botulinum Toxin A on Allodynia in Chronic Migraine: An Observational Open-Label Two-Year Study.
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Onabotulinumtoxin A (OBT-A) is a treatment option for chronic migraine (CM), though the possible effect on central sensitization and allodynia is still unknown. <b><i>Aims:</i></b> The present study aimed to evaluate (1) the long-term outcome of allodynia in a group of CM treated with OBT-A (2) if the presence and severity of allodynia could predict the long-term effect of OBT-A (3) if the improvement of allodynia, could contribute to the clinical efficacy of OBT-A. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This was an observational, open-label, cohort study conducted on 99 CM patients treated for 1 year and 44 p…