Firestormm
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I meant to post this the other day and forgot. Sorry. Comments from Charles Shepherd follow accompanied by a link to Julia Newton's latest work, and a video of her recent presentation.
Charles Shepherd ME Association Facebook 15 December 2012:
Julia Newton and POTS: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-characteristics-of-novel-subgroup-cfs.20807/
Julia Newton presentation and overview of NICE sponsored research: November 2012: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-characteristics-of-novel-subgroup-cfs.20807/
Reduced Cardiac Vagal Modulation Impacts on Cognitive Performance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
14 November 2012: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0049518 in full.
Alison Beaumont1, Alexander R. Burton1, Jim Lemon1, Barbara K. Bennett2,3, Andrew Lloyd4, Uté Vollmer-Conna1*
1 School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2 School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 3 Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 4 Inflammation and Infection Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Background
Cognitive difficulties and autonomic dysfunction have been reported separately in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). A role for heart rate variability (HRV) in cognitive flexibility has been demonstrated in healthy individuals, but this relationship has not as yet been examined in CFS. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between HRV and cognitive performance in patients with CFS.
Methods
Participants were 30 patients with CFS and 40 healthy controls; the groups were matched for age, sex, education, body mass index, and hours of moderate exercise/week. Questionnaires were used to obtain relevant medical and demographic information, and assess current symptoms and functional impairment. Electrocardiograms, perceived fatigue/effort and performance data were recorded during cognitive tasks. Between–group differences in autonomic reactivity and associations with cognitive performance were analysed.
Results
Patients with CFS showed no deficits in performance accuracy, but were significantly slower than healthy controls. CFS was further characterized by low and unresponsive HRV; greater heart rate (HR) reactivity and prolonged HR-recovery after cognitive challenge. Fatigue levels, perceived effort and distress did not affect cognitive performance. HRV was consistently associated with performance indices and significantly predicted variance in cognitive outcomes.
Conclusions
These findings reveal for the first time an association between reduced cardiac vagal tone and cognitive impairment in CFS and confirm previous reports of diminished vagal activity.
Charles Shepherd ME Association Facebook 15 December 2012:
Interesting new study from Australia that adds further weight to the link between autonomic dysfunction and cognitive dysfunction in ME/CFS - also links in with what Julia Newton et al are doing in Newcastle..
Julia is a highly respected clinician and researcher at the University of Newcastle. She has several other research interests besides ME/CFS (e.g. primary biliary cirrhosis) and her research is published in very reputable peer reviewed journals. The group that she works with in Newcastle is the nearest thing that we currently have in the UK to a Centre of Excellence for ME/CFS research - which is why the MEA Ramsay Research Fund is very willing to help fund the research programme there, which also extends to muscle research. As you are probably aware the MRC has awarded two of their new grants to Newcastle University - a further study of autonomic dysfunction and the one looking for an immunological marker for debilitating central fatigue - using people with Sjogren's Syndrome to start with...
Julia Newton and POTS: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-characteristics-of-novel-subgroup-cfs.20807/
Julia Newton presentation and overview of NICE sponsored research: November 2012: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-characteristics-of-novel-subgroup-cfs.20807/