{
  "abstract": "Introduction\n\nChronic pain in fibromyalgia may be driven by abnormal ongoing activity in a subclass of C-fibre nociceptors known as Type1B or CMi nociceptors. As is common in C-nociceptor microneurography studies, the modest patient numbers in these prior studies generate large confidence intervals around the point estimate of the prevalence of this abnormal activity. This complicates the interpretation of the relative importance of this ongoing nociceptor activity as a pain generating mechanism in fibromyalgia. The study aims to improve precision via an adaptive Bayesian protocol that maximises the yield and quality of data collection whilst minimising patient burden. This study will clarify whether the prevalence of ongoing nociceptor activity is higher in the fibromyalgia patient population, and if this is correlated with their sensory phenotype and/or pain experience, providing much needed insight into the mechanisms of the condition.Methods\n\nThe study employs an optimised microneurography protocol with an adaptive study design. The microneurography protocol incorporates early identification of CMi nociceptors via an abbreviated activity dependent slowing protocol to increase yields enabling efficient collection of the primary outcome data. The adaptive study design will use Bayesian principles to iteratively assess the predictive probability of futility, and terminate early if there is high confidence that the hypothesis is false. Furthermore, the study will employ questionnaires to explore links with pain in the area under study to the electrophysiology data. Finally, quantitative sensory testing will be used to investigate whether the irritable nociceptor phenotype is associated with abnormalities in CMi nociceptor physiology.Ethics & dissemination\n\nThis study has received HRA REC approval in the UK. Participants will provide written informed consent, and may withdraw at any time without consequence. At the end of the study, the results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication, and the data made available via a data repository.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Anaesthesia, Pain, and Critical Care Sciences, School of Physiology, Pharmacology, & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.",
    "Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Elise A Ajay"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Faris Khan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Atanu Bhattacharjee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anthony E Pickering"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "James P Dunham"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d2baqwjxt07s.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpain.2026.1911020",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13677911",
  "id": "4d2baqwjxt07s",
  "issns": [
    "2673-561X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898500",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220422600",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13677911?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13677911",
  "pmid": "42898500",
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d2baqwjxt07s.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:37Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42898500",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898500"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2738|Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Study protocol for microneurographic investigation of nociceptor sensitisation in fibromyalgia syndrome (MICRO-FMS).",
  "title_text": "Study protocol for microneurographic investigation of nociceptor sensitisation in fibromyalgia syndrome (MICRO-FMS).",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4d2baqwjxt07s",
  "venue": "Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}