Fibromyalgia - The Neuroscience of Pain
8.6.2026
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is classified as a form of nociplastic chronic pain.
It is a condition characterized by chronic, widespread pain and is often accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive complaints. It is considered a multidimensional pain problem involving both physical and neurological factors.
Neurophysiological processes
According to our research, the core of fibromyalgia lies in a disturbed balance in the brain:
• Imbalance between input and suppression: There is a fundamental imbalance between the pathways that detect pain (pain input) and the pathways that are supposed to suppress pain (pain inhibition). In patients with fibromyalgia, the pain-inhibiting system is often less active, while pain detection is hypersensitive.
• Disrupted descending pain pathways: The downward pathways from the brain that normally filter or dampen pain signals do not function optimally.
• Abnormal brain activity at rest: Research shows that there are specific abnormalities in electrical brain activity and connectivity during the resting state.
• Stress and fatigue: Chronic stress is related to specific brain waves (alpha oscillations) in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, which can lead to the characteristic fatigue associated with this condition.
Possible treatment options
We focus strongly on neuromodulation to influence brain circuits:
Occipital Nerve Stimulation / C2 Nerve Field Stimulation:
This technique stimulates the nerves at the base of the skull. The goal is to restore the balance between pain-detecting and pain-inhibiting pathways. It directly influences the descending pain pathways.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS):
This is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation where weak electrical currents are delivered via electrodes on the scalp.
- Bifrontal tDCS: Targets the front of the brain to address both pain perception and associated fatigue.
- Occipital tDCS: Used to normalize the balance in the pain processing system.