Cognitive processing of exercise and activity-related information in chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma and healthy controls

Abstract

Background: The experiment investigated whether depressed mood would direct cognitive processing of physical activity and exercise-related information in people with CFS, compared to people with asthma and healthy controls. Methods: CFS (N = 17), Asthma (N = 46), and healthy (N = 42) participants randomly assigned to a depressed or neutral mood induction completed a cognitive task measuring allocation of attention towards activity-related or neutral words and pictures. Findings: Induced depressed mood exerted a significant influence on the allocation of attention of CFS, asthma and healthy participants as demonstrated by a significant group by mood interaction F (2, 99) = 4.64, p = .012. Compared to the healthy controls CFS group demonstrated a significant degree of avoidance of physical activity and exercise, p = .015. Discussion: Evidence for cognitive avoidance of activity in CFS may elucidate the cognitive and decision-making mechanisms behind behavioural avoidance of activity in CFS. This finding may have implications for graded-exercise treatment in CFS, and for the strategies for promotion of physical activity in people with chronic illness and in healthy individuals.