Cognitive functioning in post-polio patients with and without general fatigue.

Abstract

This study examined 2 main hypotheses. First, whether patients with post-polio suffering from general fatigue (n=10) demonstrate cognitive deficits compared with patients with post-polio without general fatigue (n=10). Secondly, by systematically varied test order administration we examined whether such differences varied as a function of increasing cognitive load during cognitive testing. Twenty patients diagnosed with post-polio syndrome, 10 with general fatigue and 10 without fatigue. Neither of the 2 hypotheses were confirmed. The group with general fatigue reported elevated levels of depression. However, no systematic association between level of depression and cognitive performance could be detected. The results of this study provide no evidence that general fatigue or cognitive load affects cognitive functioning in post-polio.