Researchers from the Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de la Timone, in Marseille, France, took brain scans of 20 female fibromyalgia patients and 10 without the condition. They also had the participants provide information to measure anxiety, disability pain and depression.

The brain scan technique used in this research is called single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This type of scan uses gamma rays to create a true 3-dimensional image and can help detect functional abnormalities deep in the brain.

The researchers correlated the data and discovered that patients with fibromyalgia have abnormalities in the blood flow in the brain, which is called perfusion. More, the abnormalities are directly related to the severity of the condition. An increase in perfusion (hyperperfusion) was noted in the area of the brain that measures pain intensity and a decrease in perfusion was noted in the area thought to be involved in the emotional response to pain.

“Fibromyalgia may be related to a global dysfunction of cerebral pain-processing. This study demonstrates that these patients exhibit modifications of brain perfusion not found in healthy subjects and reinforces the idea that fibromyalgia is a ‘real disease/disorder.’” – Eric Guedj, M.D, lead author

The researchers also found that the functional abnormalities had no relationship to depression of anxiety.

The study was reported in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

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