Spatial and temporal connectivity of brain resting-state fMRI during music-induced analgesia in fibromyalgia patients.

Overview

1. Research Center for Cross-Straits Cultural Development, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
2. Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
3. Academy of Music, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
4. School of Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

Introduction: Music-induced analgesia (MIA) has significant clinical value for patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and serves as a key model for understanding the complex neural mechanisms underlying the effects of music on physical and mental states. However, previous research offers limited interpretation of the broader neural network characteristics underlying pain regulation through music, particularly regarding spatial synchronization and temporal connectivity.

Methods: The present study examined the neural correlates of MIA in FM patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) with fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) measures. Twenty female FM patients underwent RS-fMRI scans before and after listening to self-selected, familiar, highly pleasant, and slow-tempo music. Behavioral assessments of pain intensity (PI) and pain unpleasantness (PU) were collected immediately before and after music listening. Paired t-tests and correlation analyses were performed.

Results: Following music listening, FM patients exhibited a significant reduction in PI and a marginal reduction in PU. Significant RS-fMRI changes were observed: increased fALFF in the frontal, occipital, and cerebellar regions; increased ReHo in the precentral gyrus, cerebellum_crus2, and postcentral gyrus; decreased ReHo in the temporal, occipital, frontal, limbic, and cingulate regions; and increased DC in frontal areas and the supplementary motor area. Additionally, significant correlations were found between clinical measures and fALFF or ReHo measures, including positive correlations between PI and fALFF in the left middle occipital gyrus, and negative correlations between PU and fALFF/ReHo in the right cerebellum_crus2 and left middle occipital gyrus.

Conclusion: These findings suggested the effectiveness of music’s pain regulation function in FM patients, potentially through both cognitive and emotional pathways. The spatial and temporal fMRI evidence highlights key roles of the frontal, occipital, sensorimotor, limbic, and cerebellar regions in MIA, providing a more comprehensive framework for understanding its underlying neural mechanisms.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

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• openneuro:ds001928, at OpenNeuro; found in the text

Data availability statement

The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/supplementary material.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, pages, dates, 6 authors, 5 keywords, 59 references.

Cite

This paper

Hou, J., Liu, Y., Hosseini, T., Zheng, M., Liu, X., & Sun, C. (2026). Spatial and temporal connectivity of brain resting-state fMRI during music-induced analgesia in fibromyalgia patients. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 20, 1622082. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2026.1622082

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