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August 18, 2016
Researchers from Colorado State University propose a new model of fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS), designed to overcome the lack of a unified definition of fatigue that can be objectively tested using experimental approaches.With this model, the authors behind the article, “Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: Misconceptions and Future Research Directions,” published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, believe that research into the mechanisms of fatigue can be advanced, as well as treatments that might better address this symptom and possibly conquer it.Fatigue affects up to 92% of people with MS and is often perceived as one of the disease’s most burdensome symptoms. But researchers know little about why and how it arises, and none of the current MS therapies treat it in a satisfying way.The authors of this “perspective article” believe that the lack of effective research is caused by an inadequate definition of fatigue, and propose the following model and definition: “Fatigue is the decrease in physical and/or mental performance that results from changes in central, psychological, and/or peripheral factors.”Although everyone intuitively knows what fatigue is, the lack of rigid descriptions make it difficult for scientists studying it. One study exploring a particular drug’s effects might describe fatigue in one way and relate those effects to the description given, while other studies use different descriptions and measures of outcomes — making it impossible to compare results across studies.“When compared to advances made in other domains of disease status and disability in [people with] MS, fatigue continues to lag behind. The lack of progress is largely due to the varying subjectivity in the definition and assessment of fatigue between research groups,” the authors said. “Our proposed theoretical model provides specific areas of objective fatigue assessment that can be applied in research and intervention settings.”The new definition differs from how fatigue is commonly viewed in that it assumes that it cannot be tied to a particular bodily process, but rather is always influenced by many ‘factors.’ Central factors may be differences in brain neurotransmitters, inflammatory molecules, or brain metabolism; peripheral factors include muscle changes, such as the ability to contract or generate enough energy. Psychological factors can also impact fatigue, like perceived effort, a subjective sense of worsening performance over time, motivation, and cognitive impairment, the authors state.
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