This video was selected as part of the scientific popularization competition “Highlight on the next generation 2020” organized by the QPRN. In this video, students from the Quebec Network of Junior Pain Investigators (QNJPI) present their research project.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by constant body pain and pronounced fatigue, and is accompanied by changes in the brain. Our brain uses information from our senses (vision, especially) and our body (which constantly tells us its position) to guide our movements effectively. Since people with fibromyalgia sometimes have an abnormal feeling about their body, we are investigating whether their brains process sensory information differently to perform movement. For this, we use electroencephalography, a helmet made up of electrodes recording the electrical activity of the brain. The participants will have to trace the contours of a figure by seeing their hand only through a screen which sometimes will not reflect the real direction of their movement, creating a visual conflict (as if you were using your computer mouse at the towards). This requires using visual information, even if it contradicts that from the body. We hypothesize that since information from the body of people with fibromyalgia is generally unreliable, it will be more easily based on visual information and will have better performance and fewer brain changes caused by visual conflict compared to people in health.
