Pain Inhibition Is Deficient in Chronic Widespread Pain but Normal in Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Our results suggest that (1) fibromyalgia and MDD are both associated with signs of hyperalgesia, (2) hyperalgesia is more pronounced in fibromyalgia, and (3) the deficit of pain inhibition is specific to fibromyalgia. As such, these results suggest that there is an overlap between fibromyalgia and MDD, but that fibromyalgia can be distinguished from MDD in terms of DNIC efficacy.