Kidney International ( 2012) 82, 445- 453; doi:10.1038/ki.2012.169; published online 23 May 2012″
“Objective: To investigate autonomic cardiovascular regulation in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: In 35 patients and 29 healthy controls, electrocardiography, impedance cardiography, and finger continuous blood pressure measurements were conducted. Assessed parameters comprised blood pressure,
R-R interval (RRI), heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), stroke volume, and left ventricular ejection time (LVET). To evaluate cardiovascular autonomic reactivity to mental stress, parameters were obtained at rest and during an arithmetic task. As an estimate A-1210477 cell line of clinical pain severity, participants completed the McGill Pain Inventory. Results: Patients exhibited lower power in all heart rate variability frequency bands (p < .05), lower BRS (7113 +/- 3.45 versus 10.73 +/- 5.72 ms/mmHg), as well as reduced stroke volume, LVET, and RRI (p < .05). Stress-induced modulations were less pronounced in BRS, LVET, blood pressure, and RRI (all p < .05). Across the whole sample and in both subgroups, VX-661 in vitro BRS (r = -.40) and blood pressure (r = -.39) correlated negatively with pain severity. Conclusions: The data suggest that
autonomic cardiovascular regulation in FMS is impaired in terms of reduced sympathetic and parasympathetic influences, as well as baroreflex malfunctioning. Furthermore, autonomic cardiovascular adjustment to acute stress is blunted. The inverse association between BRS and pain severity reflects the well-documented pain inhibition through the baroreceptor system. On account of this and the reduced baroreflex function in FMS, one may assume deficient ascending pain
inhibition arising from the cardiovascular system, which may contribute to hyperalgesia that is characteristic of the disorder.”
“The item-specific proportion congruent (ISPC) effect in a Stroop task – the observation of reduced interference for color words mostly presented in an incongruent color Selleckchem Navitoclax – has attracted growing interest since the original study by Jacoby, Lindsay, and Hessels [(2003) Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 10(3), 638-644]. Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain the effect: associative learning of contingencies and item-specific control through word reading modulation. Both interpretations have received empirical support from behavioral data. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the responsible mechanisms of the ISPC effect with the classic two-item sets design using fMRI. Results showed that the ISPC effect is associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate (ACC), dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC), and inferior and superior parietal cortex.