The Importance of Fibromyalgia Research
article syndicated from NIAMS
updated on 06/20/2007 at 11:06AM
Why Is Basic Research Important to Understanding Fibromyalgia?
The research mission of NIAMS is broad and diverse. Progress in one area of the Institute provides important clues for research in other areas. Similarly, progress in areas supported by other NIH institutes can and does provide valuable information for diseases within the NIAMS research portfolio. That is why it is essential to support studies across the research spectrum and to encourage cross-fertilization of knowledge from experts in many disciplines. Studies on the neuroendocrine system, pain and sleep disorders, and rheumatic and autoimmune diseases all may lead to a better understanding of fibromyalgia.
Since not all the outcomes can be anticipated, and it is hard to know where scientific advances will come from, NIAMS strives to support and maintain a diverse research portfolio. This is especially important in fibromyalgia, where many areas are being developed simultaneously. Advances against fibromyalgia require both basic and clinical research projects. Because basic research appears so far removed from actual patients coping with the disease, the benefits derived from this type of research may not be so obvious.
For many diseases and conditions, including fibromyalgia, basic research must be done in order to obtain fundamental clues that direct research in humans. Basic research is usually done in systems that are simpler than the human system, so that the experimental variables can be manipulated to observe changes in structure and function. This provides a general understanding of biological events that may affect humans. Simpler organisms used include bacteria, yeast, fruit flies (Drosophila), and mice. For example, researchers study the fruit fly because it is more complex than a bacterium, but can easily be maintained in a laboratory. In addition, fruit flies have been studied for many years, and a great deal is known about their genetics, biochemistry, and behavior. Scientists recently discovered that mutations in the human version of a gene that controls fruit fly growth and development are the likely cause of both the basal cell nevus syndrome, a rare inherited disorder, and sporadic basal cell carcinoma of the skin, the most common human cancer. In terms of fibromyalgia research, studies in fruit flies may tell us which molecules link sleep and consolidation of long-term memory. Understanding this relationship in fruit flies may provide clues and research tools that will enable investigators to learn why people with chronic sleep disturbances experience problems with memory.
Why Is Behavioral Research Important to Understanding Fibromyalgia?
Behavioral and social sciences research is an important area of investigation at NIH and cuts across a wide range of research topics. NIAMS has long supported behavioral research related to many rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Behavioral and social factors are significant contributors to health and illness, frequently interact with biological factors to influence health outcomes, and represent critical avenues for treatment and prevention.
Behavioral and social sciences research encompasses a wide array of disciplines. The field employs a variety of methodological approaches including surveys and questionnaires, interviews, randomized clinical trials, direct observation, physiological manipulation and recording, descriptive methods, laboratory and field experiments, standardized tests, economic analyses, statistical modeling, ethnography, and evaluation. In addition, several key crosscutting themes are characteristic of social and behavioral sciences research. These include an emphasis on theory-driven research; the search for general principles of behavioral and social functioning; the importance ascribed to a developmental, life-span perspective; an emphasis on individual variation and variation across sociodemographic categories such as gender, age, and sociocultural status; and a focus on both the social and biological context of behavior.
Behavioral and social sciences research is important to understanding how to better treat some of the clinically challenging symptoms that are experienced by fibromyalgia patients. Research opportunities include behavioral research on all aspects of fibromyalgia, including the relationships among disturbed sleep, inactivity, pain, and depression that are often observed in patients with fibromyalgia, and the development of innovative approaches for treatment.
The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases.
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