FATIGUE IN THE CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME - A COGNITIVE PHENOMENON

What is the source of the perception of excessive fatigue in the chron ic fatigue syndrome (CFS)? Studies of physiological response to aerobi c activity, of muscle pathology and muscle function in CFS, are review ed, and suggest that the subjective report of fatigue is not due to an y peripheral impairment. In addition, current technological methods su ch as electroencephalography have failed to uncover the nature of any abnormality in the central motor unit. A physiological model which pro poses that patients with CFS possess a reduced threshold for sensory f atigue signals is rejected, because it fails to account for recent fin dings. Instead, it is suggested that the perception of fatigue in CFS is enhanced by idiosyncrasies in cognitive processing. The implication s of this view to our understanding of the perpetuation of CFS as a wh ole are explored. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.