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Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, allodynia and fatigue, thought to arise from a combination of psychological, genetic, neurobiological and environmental factors.
In this Perspective, the authors propose a model in which an imbalance of threat and soothing systems leads to hyperactivation of the brain’s salience network, which, in conjunction with other mechanisms, contributes to fibromyalgia.
New research demonstrates that antibodies from patients with fibromyalgia induce sensory hypersensitivities in recipient mice, suggesting an autoimmune basis for the disease as well as new therapeutic possibilities.
