The Role of Central and Peripheral Muscle Fatigue in Postcancer Fatigue: A RCT (Prinsen et al.)

[Dolphin]

Nothing that exciting in this except that I think it would be interesting to see such outcome measures used in CFS.

Gijs Bleijenberg has been a major figure in the promotion of CBT for CFS.

http://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(14)00419-9/abstract

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Article in Press
The Role of Central and Peripheral Muscle Fatigue in Postcancer Fatigue: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Hetty Prinsen, PhD
  
• Johannes P. van Dijk, PhD
  
• Machiel J. Zwarts, MD, PhD
  
• Jan Willem H. Leer, MD, PhD
  
• Gijs Bleijenberg, PhD
  
• Hanneke W. van Laarhoven, MD, PhD

Received 26 February 2014; received in revised form 6 June 2014; accepted 11 June 2014. published online 22 August 2014.
Accepted Manuscript

Abstract
Context
Postcancer fatigue is a frequently occurring problem, impairing quality of life. Little is known about (neuro)physiological factors determining postcancer fatigue. It may be hypothesized that postcancer fatigue is characterized by low peripheral muscle fatigue and high central muscle fatigue.

Objectives
The aims of this study were a) to examine whether central and peripheral muscle fatigue of fatigued and non-fatigued cancer survivors differ between both groups, and b) to examine the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on peripheral and central muscle fatigue of fatigued cancer survivors in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods
Sixteen fatigued patients in the intervention group (CBT) and eight fatigued patients in the waiting list group were successfully assessed at baseline and six months later. Baseline measurements of 20 fatigued patients were compared with 20 non-fatigued patients. Twitch interpolation technique and surface electromyography were applied, respectively, during sustained contraction of the biceps brachii muscle.

Results
Muscle fiber conduction velocity and central activation failure were not significantly different between fatigued and non-fatigued patients. Change scores of muscle fiber conduction velocity and central activation failure were not significantly different between patients in the CBT and the waiting list groups. Patients in the CBT group reported a significantly larger decrease in fatigue scores than patients in the waiting list group.

Conclusion
Postcancer fatigue is neither characterized by abnormally high central muscle fatigue nor by low peripheral muscle fatigue. These findings suggest a difference in the underlying physiological mechanism of postcancer fatigue versus other fatigue syndromes.

• 
  Postcancer fatigue, cognitive behavior therapy, central muscle fatigue, peripheral muscle fatigue, central activation failure,muscle fiber conduction velocity, twitch interpolation technique, surface electromyography

 

[Esther12]

Ta D.

From the end of the abstract it sounds like they're saying similar testing has been done with CFS?

I thought I'd add a link to a thread where a Bleijenberg paper showing that CBT intended to increase the amount of activity people did post-Cancer in order to improve fatigue only affected questionnaire scores, and not their objective measures of activity, just in case people thought things were any better there than with CFS:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...fatigue-cbt-actometers-bleijenberg-etc.24838/

 

[Valentijn]

The impression I get is that they're ruling out one or two biological causes of "fatigue" so that they can dramatically declare that it must be psychosomatic, and CBT/GET must be the cure. The psychobabblers did much of the same thing in ME/CFS patients