Relationship Between Central Sensitization Symptoms and Cognitive Dysfunction in Fibromyalgia

September 5, 2025 updated by: Sultan Abdulhamid Han Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Investigation of the Relationship Between Central Sensitization Symptoms and Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients With Fibromyalgia

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between central sensitization parameters and cognitive dysfunction in patients with fibromyalgia.The main questions it aims to answer are:

Do central sensitization symptoms affect cognitive dysfunction in patients with fibromyalgia? To what extent do central sensitization symptoms affect objective and subjective cognitive complaints in fibromyalgia patients? How do cognitive complaints relate to other clinical parameters, including disease severity, in these patients?

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Central sensitization is defined as an increase in pain sensitivity with amplification of neuron-derived signals in the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by chronic widespread pain, and although its etiology and pathophysiology are still not fully known, it is considered a major member of the group of diseases known as central sensitivity syndromes, which progress with impaired pain regulation.

Fibromyalgia negatively affects the patient's functionality in various ways. One of these is cognitive dysfunction, and previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia patients experience significant deterioration in all parameters related to cognitive function compared to healthy controls. Central sensitization has been shown to be associated with comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and fatigue in many disease groups, including fibromyalgia, and data on its effect on cognitive dysfunction are limited.

A study found that impaired conditioned pain modulation, one of the methods used in the evaluation of central sensitization in fibromyalgia patients, was associated with cognitive dysfunction.In addition, cognitive impairment in these patients is associated with a decrease in the quality of life of the patients and is suggested to be one of the important clinical findings of the disease. Considering all these data, it seems likely that central sensitization negatively affects cognitive function in fibromyalgia, and this study aimed to examine in detail the relationship between central sensitization and cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Uskudar
      • Istanbul, Uskudar, Turkey (Türkiye), 34100
        • Recruiting
        • Health Sciences University
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Sefa Kurt, M.D.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with Fibromyalgia

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to American College of Rheumatology 2016 criteria
  • Being between 18-65 years old
  • Being literate
  • Accepting to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concomitant systemic inflammatory disease, central nervous system disease (cortical involvement), active infection and malignancy history
  • History of illness that may lead to cognitive impairment
  • Being <18 and >65 years old
  • Being illiterate
  • Not accepting to participate in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients
Patients with fibromyalgia
Diagnostic test: Central Sensitization Inventory
The Central Sensitization Inventory is used by some researchers to investigate pain sensitivity through symptoms associated with central sensitization and related comorbidities. It can help determine the severity of central sensitization. The scale was developed to detect central sensitization in patients with chronic pain and consists of two sections: Section A and Section B. For scoring purposes, only Section A is used. A score of 40 or higher out of 100 is associated with an increased likelihood of central sensitization.
Diagnostic test: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was initially developed as a test for mild cognitive impairment, but has also been determined to match qualities of the mini mental state examination 80. It assesses seven areas of cognition for a total possible score of 30 points. A score of 21 or less is indicative of cognitive impairment in Turkish population.
Diagnostic test: Cognitive Symptom Severity Scale-Extended
The Cognitive Symptom Severity Scale extends the scale of the original cognitive symptom severity scale. Participants are asked to rate their cognitive symptoms related to concentration and memory on a single scale ranging from 1-5, rather than the original 1-3, where higher scores indicate greater severity.
Other: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire is composed of 10 items. The first item contains 11 questions related to physical functioning - each question is rated on a 4 point Likert type scale. Items 2 and 3 ask the patient to mark the number of days they felt well and the number of days they were unable to work (including housework) because of fibromyalgia symptoms. Items 4 through 10 are horizontal linear scales marked in 10 increments on which the patient rates work difficulty, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depression. The maximum scale score is 100, with higher scores associated with increasing disability.
Other: Numeric rating scale
Numeric Rating Scale will be used to determine pain intensity during assessments. Participants will be asked to rate their pain intensity by selecting a value between 0 and 10. Higher scores are associated with increased pain severity.
Other: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
This scale is used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms and consists of 14 items (7 items for anxiety, 7 items for depression). For each subscale, scores range from 0 to 21: • 0-7 points: No symptoms or very mild symptoms • 8-10 points: Moderate symptoms • 11 points or higher

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Central Sensitization Inventory
Time Frame: 6 months
The Central Sensitization Inventory is used by some researchers to investigate pain sensitivity through symptoms associated with central sensitization and related comorbidities. It can help determine the severity of central sensitization. The scale was developed to detect central sensitization in patients with chronic pain and consists of two sections: Section A and Section B. For scoring purposes, only Section A is used. A score of 40 or higher out of 100 is associated with an increased likelihood of central sensitization.
6 months
Montreal Cognitive Assessment
Time Frame: 6 months
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was initially developed as a test for mild cognitive impairment, but has also been determined to match qualities of the mini mental state examination 80. It assesses seven areas of cognition for a total possible score of 30 points. A score of 21 or less is indicative of cognitive impairment in Turkish population.
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Symptom Severity Scale-Extended
Time Frame: 6 months
The Cognitive Symptom Severity Scale extends the scale of the original cognitive symptom severity scale. Participants are asked to rate their cognitive symptoms related to concentration and memory on a single scale ranging from 1-5, rather than the original 1-3, where higher scores indicate greater severity.
6 months
Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
Time Frame: 6 months
This scale is composed of 10 items. The first item contains 11 questions related to physical functioning - each question is rated on a 4 point Likert type scale. Items 2 and 3 ask the patient to mark the number of days they felt well and the number of days they were unable to work (including housework) because of fibromyalgia symptoms. Items 4 through 10 are horizontal linear scales marked in 10 increments on which the patient rates work difficulty, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depression. The maximum scale score is 100, with higher scores associated with increasing disability.
6 months
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
Time Frame: 6 months
This scale is used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms and consists of 14 items (7 items for anxiety, 7 items for depression). For each subscale, scores range from 0 to 21: • 0-7 points: No symptoms or very mild symptoms • 8-10 points: Moderate symptoms • 11 points or higher
6 months
Numeric rating scale
Time Frame: 6 months
Numeric Rating Scale will be used to determine pain intensity during assessments. Participants will be asked to rate their pain intensity by selecting a value between 0 and 10. Higher scores are associated with increased pain severity.
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sultan Abdulhamid Han Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Feyza Yücel, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 10, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 21, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 12, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 5, 2025

Last Verified

September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 11111 (DAIDS ES Registry Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Data sharing not planned

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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