Abstract #3524

Functional Imaging of Fibromyalgia Using Empathy for Pain

Hui-jin Song¹, Joo-hyun Kim¹, Jeehye Seo¹, Moon-jung Hwang², Young-ju Lee², Kyung Jin Suh³, Sung Woo Kim³, Young Hwan Lee⁴, Dong Soo Yoo⁵, Yongmin Chang^1,6

¹Medical & Biological Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea, Republic of; ²GE healthcare, Seoul; ³Dongguk University, Gyungju; ⁴Radiology, College of Medicine, Catholic University, Daegu; ⁵Radiology, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Chunan; ⁶Diagnostic Radiology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea, Republic of

Fibromyalgia(FM) is disorder of unknown etiology1, characterized by chronic widespread pain and are often accompanied by symptoms of sleep disturbance, anxiety, memory problems, fatigue, and exhaustion. Previous functional imaging studies of FM mainly focused on pain by applying pressure to specific FM tender point. However, there is no emotional and cognitive functional imaging study with FM. Therefore, the aim of this study investigates difference of pain perception between fibromyalgia patient and healthy controls using empathy for pain task. Based on our finding that the FM group did not show activation in the several pain empathy related areas during the empathy for pain task, the current study suggest that DLPFC and ACC hypoactivity in FM group is associated with a deficit in cognitive function in empathizing and evaluating others pain.