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Working memory deficits in chronic fatigue syndrome: differentiating between speed and accuracy of information
John Deluca1, Christopher Christodoulou, Bruce J Diamond
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA. Jdeluca@kmrrec.org
Abstract:
To examine the relative influence of speed of information processing versus working memory ability, CFS participants with psychiatric comorbidity (CFS-Psych) and CFS without a psychiatric history (CFS-noPsych) were examined on tests of visual and auditory processing speed and visual and auditory working memory. Compared to healthy controls (HC) and a group of participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the CFS-noPsych group displayed significantly reduced performance on tests of information processing speed, but not on tests of working memory. No significant differences were observed between the CFS-Psych group and any other group in the study. The implications of group heterogeneity on the understanding of cognitive impairment in CFS are discussed.