:: Current research project

Neurofunctional and neuroendocrine aspects in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, yet its aetiology remains a source of debate. It has been suggested that its symptoms are a somatic response to psychological stress, but it seems that there are some other biological mechanisms on the basis of this pathology. Until now, most of the studies that have been carried out, focused on central nervous system (CNS) pain perception and processing. A possible malfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonads (HPG) axis has also been investigated in FM, but there’s still a lot of controversy. Some studies refer FM patients seems to present a deficit in intra- and inter-personal relationship regulation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

This project aims to characterize the HPA and HPG axis of these patients along the various stages of this illness and try to find out if there is any relation of this with the CNS neuroendocrine and electrophysiological response to specific emotional stimulus.

Funded by: FCT - PRAXISXXI/BD/36746/2007

:: Selected publications

- Oliveira, T., Gouveia, M.J. & Oliveira, R.F. Testosterone responsiveness to winning and losing experiences in female soccer players. Psychoneuroendocrinology 34: 1056-1064.

- Bshary, R., Oliveira, R.F., Oliveira, T.S.F. and Canário, A.V.M. 2007. Do cleaning organisms reduce the stress response of client reef fish? Frontiers in Zoology 4: 21.

- Hirschenhauser, K., Taborsky, M., Oliveira, T., Canário, A.V.M. and Oliveira, R.F. 2004. A test of the 'challenge hypothesis' in cichlid fish: simulated partner and territory intruder experiments. Animal Behaviour 68: 741-750.

- Hirschenhauser, K., Ros, A.F.H., Carneiro, L.A., Oliveira, T., Silva, A., Canário, A.V.M. and Oliveira, R.F. 2002. Non-invasive hormone assessment from fish-holding water. Advances in Ethology 37: 139.