ArticleNeurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.)
Percutaneous electric nerve field stimulation alters cortical thickness in a pilot study of veterans with fibromyalgia.
Article in Neurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Repeat round of auricular percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulation for pediatric disorders of gut brain interaction.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2025Article
- Current Clinical Applications of Structural MRI in Neurological Disorders.Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul, Korea) · 2025Review
- Percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulation compared to standard medical therapy in adolescents with functional abdominal pain disorders.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate changes in cortical thickness and right posterior insula (r-pIns) gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in veterans with fibromyalgia treated with auricular percutaneous electric nerve field stimulation (PENFS). Materials & methods: This was a randomized, controlled, open label investigation conducted in a government hospital. Twenty-one veterans with fibromyalgia were randomized to receive either standard therapy (ST; i.e., 4 weekly visits with a pain practitioner) or ST with auricular PENFS (ST + PENFS). Neuroimaging data was collected at baseline (i.e. before the first treatment session) and again within 2 weeks post-treatment. Clinical pain and physical function were also assessed at these timepoints. Single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy was carried out in r-pIns to assess changes in r-pIns GABA concentrations and high-resolution T1-weighted images were collected to assess changes in regional gray matter volume using cortical thickness. Results: Both the ST + PENFS and ST groups reported a decrease in pain with treatment. Conclusions: Results suggest a novel effect of PENFS reflected by differential volumetric changes compared to ST. The changes in GABA that occur in both groups are more likely related to ST. Insular GABA and cortical thickness in key regions of interest may be developed as potential biomarkers for evaluating chronic pain pathology and treatment outcomes.
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Registered trials
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