Abstract
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain; fatigue; stiffness; reduced physical fitness; sleep disturbances; psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression; and deficits in cognitive functions, such as attention, executive function, and verbal memory deficits. It is important to analyze the potentially different performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test in patients with fibromyalgia as well as examine the relationship of that performance with physical and cognitive performance. A total of 36 women with fibromyalgia participated in the study. Participants completed the MoCA test, the MMSE, and the TUG physical fitness test under dual-task conditions. The results obtained on cognitive tests were 28.19 (1.74) on the MMSE and 25.17 (2.79) on the MoCA. The participants’ performance on cognitive tests was significantly related to the results of the TUG dual-task test. In this way, cognitive performance on a dual-task test can be used to support the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with fibromyalgia. The MoCA test may be a more sensitive cognitive screening tool than the MMSE for patients with fibromyalgia.
Highlights
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain; fatigue; stiffness; reduced physical fitness; sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia [1]; psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression [2]; and deficits in cognitive functions, such as attention, executive function, and verbal memory deficits [1,3]
The results showed a ceiling effect, with 25.0% of the participants achieving a perfect score on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) compared to 5.6% on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
We found a positive correlation between the results of both cognitive tests (MMSE and MoCA) and the cognitive performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test under a dual-task condition
Summary
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain; fatigue; stiffness; reduced physical fitness; sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia [1]; psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression [2]; and deficits in cognitive functions, such as attention, executive function, and verbal memory deficits [1,3]. The simultaneously execution of a motor task (such as walking) and a cognitive task (such as thinking) is called a dual task [6] In this regard, activities of daily living often require the ability to simultaneously perform a cognitive and a motor task, that is, dual-task performance [7]. When an individual faces a dual task in daily life, successful execution of both of these tasks (i.e., the motor task (walking) and the cognitive task (thinking)) decreases because of dual-task interference [6]. This interference occurs because the individual has to divide their attention resources between both of the tasks. “Attention is the cognitive mechanism through which the information that is received by our senses is filtered and/or cognitive resources are assigned to particular elements of that information that are relevant to the observer” [8]
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