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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

The Treadmill Fatigue Test: A Simple, High-throughput Assay of Fatigue-like Behavior for the Mouse
Published on: May 31, 2016
Cognitive fatigue in patients with myasthenia gravis
Berit Jordan1, Tabea L K Schweden2, Theresa Mehl1
1Department of Neurology, Martin-Luther-University Halle, Ernst-Grube-Strasse 40, 06097, Halle/Saale, Germany.
Introduction:
Cognitive fatigue has frequently been reported in myasthenia gravis (MG). However, objective assessment of cognitive fatigability has never been evaluated.
Methods:
Thirty-three MG patients with stable generalized disease and 17 healthy controls underwent a test battery including repeated testing of attention and concentration (d2-R) and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. Fatigability was based on calculation of linear trend (LT) reflecting dynamic performance within subsequent constant time intervals. Additionally, fatigue questionnaires were used.
Results:
MG patients showed a negative LT in second d2-R testing, indicating cognitive fatigability. This finding significantly differed from stable cognitive performance in controls (P < 0.05). Results of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test testing did not differ between groups. Self-assessed fatigue was significantly higher in MG patients compared with controls (P < 0.001), but did not correlate with LT.
Conclusions:
LT quantifies cognitive fatigability as an objective measurement of performance decline in MG patients. Self-assessed cognitive fatigue is not correlated with objective findings. Muscle Nerve 56: 449-457, 2017.
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