Association of nociplastic pain with executive function decline in a longitudinal cohort of middle-age adults: a prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Patients with chronic pain, frequently report cognitive problems ('brain fog'), particulary those with nociplastic pain, which involves dysregulated pain processing. However, the association with objective executive dysfunction and decline over time is unclear. We examined whether nociplastic pain severity is associated with executive dysfunction and decline, and explored which factors, such as sex or associated non-pain symptoms, mediate this relationship.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study using UK Biobank. Baseline cognitive assessments (2017-20), a pain questionnaire (2019), and follow-up cognitive assessments (2021-2) were analysed. Nociplastic pain severity was measured using the fibromyalgia index (0-31), a continuous measure of widespread pain

SUBMITTER: Kelleher EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12799397 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature