Fatigue Physiology And Pathology

In 1917, the president of the American Psychological Association at that time, Raymond Dodge, wrote “I have no expectation that the laws of mental fatigue will be formulated in the immediate future”. Remarkably, despite continuous efforts over a period of more than 100 years, a mature theory of the origins and neural mechanisms of mental fatigue has yet to be achieved. Physical fatigue is defined as “the transient inability of muscles to maintain optimal physical performance, and is made more severe by intense physical exercise”. Mental fatigue could be phrased as “a transient decrease in maximal cognitive performance resulting from prolonged periods of cognitive activity”. Currently, the mechanism underlying mental fatigue is still yet to be discovered. Chronic fatigue is one of the symptoms that may occur in numerous chronic disorders, such as hypertension, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and heart fail. Currently, there is no cure for ME/CFS. Chronic fatigue seems to be a relatively common, yet undertreated symptom. Presumably, increasing knowledge of physiological mechanisms underlying fatigue might potentially lead to an improvement in the efficacy of therapy for various disorders. Therefore, the goal of the current Research Topic is to collect papers on both physiology of fatigue as well as mechanism underlying pathologies, as ME/CFS. Also, papers on clinical trials involving subjects with chronic fatigue, or patients with ME/CFS are welcomed.

A guide to the techniques and analysis of clinical data. Each of the seventeen sections begins with a drawing and biographical sketch of a seminal contributor to the discipline. After an introduction and historical survey of clinical methods, the next fifteen sections are organized by body system. Each contains clinical data items from the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigations that are generally included in a comprehensive patient evaluation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness - systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical - not a psychiatric or psychological - illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

This volume describes the current state of our knowledge on the neurobiology of muscle fatigue, with consideration also given to selected integrative cardiorespiratory mechanisms. Our charge to the authors of the various chapters was twofold: to provide a systematic review of the topic that could serve as a balanced reference text for practicing health-care professionals, teaching faculty, and pre-and postdoctoral trainees in the biomedi cal sciences; and to stimulate further experimental and theoretical work on neurobiology. Key issues are addressed in nine interrelated areas: fatigue of single muscle fibers, fatigue at the neuromuscular junction, fatigue of single motor units, metabolic fatigue studied with nuclear magnetic resonance, fatigue of the segmental motor system, fatigue involving suprasegmental mechanisms, the task dependency of fatigue mechanisms, integrative (largely cardiorespiratory) systems issues, and fatigue of adapted systems (due to aging, under-and overuse, and pathophysiology). The product is a volume that provides compre of processes that operate from the forebrain to the contractile proteins.

When human muscle fatigues, athletic performance becomes impaired. For those individuals suffering muscle or metabolic diseases the effects of muscle fatigue can make everyday tasks difficult. Understanding the scientific processes responsible for skeletal muscle fatigue is therefore central to the study of the physiology of sport, exercise and health. Written by a team of leading international exercise scientists, this book explores the mechanisms of muscle fatigue and presents a comprehensive survey of current research on this important topic. Examining the wide variety of protocols, assessment methods and exercise models used to study muscle fatigue, the book explores the differential effects of fatigue as influenced by: age gender fitness and training the use of ergogenic aids medical conditions including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and glycogenosis. Human Muscle Fatigue covers both clinical and applied approaches in sport and exercise physiology and devotes an entire section to the conceptual framework underpinning research in this area, helping readers from a wide range of backgrounds to engage with the topic. Accessible and detailed, this book is a key text for students and practitioners working in exercise and sports science, medicine, physical therapy and health.

Only 4 1/2" by 6", this clinical handbook in The Most Common Complaints series fits easily into a pocket or lab coat for quick reference. The author presents a general overview and brief descriptions of the current theories on the causes of fatigue, and detailed guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Readers will find to-the-point discussions of the pathophysiology of fatigue and clinical aspects of common disorders. This book is a must have for the proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment of this challenging clinical problem. Discusses the hottest topics in the field, such as fatigue co-variables · multiple sclerosis · chronic fatigue syndrome · Lyme disease · HIV infection · and current treatment approaches. Features a concise, well-organized format for easy access to information. Includes key point boxes for a quick reference by the busy clinician.

ROBERT WILLIAM McCARLEY Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Brockton V A Medical Center, Brockton, Massachusetts The alternation of waking and sleeping, the daily course of the ad vancing and receding tides of consciousness, has long been a familiar part of our experience. But it is a new idea that autonomic and respiratory phys iology are equally and dramatically altered in a parallel fashion, and it is this concept that is summarized and developed here. The editors have drawn together thematically related chapters written by researchers with direct experience and a high level of expertise in the areas they address. The main theme is the relationship of general physiological alterations during sleep to cellular physiology and to the pathology of sleep. What is distinctive and especially appealing about this book on sleep is its emphasis on the autonomic and respiratory systems. This volume is, I believe, the first to explore these topics systematically and to blend phe nomenological description with possible cellular mechanisms and ties to clinical pathology. As such, this book should find an important place in the library of workers in the fields of sleep research, autonomic and respiratory physiology, and related neuroscience disciplines; it also belongs in the li brary of clinicians concerned with the disorders of sleep. This overview of topics and chapters gives an indication of their cath olicity.

There are approximately 4,000 fatalities in crashes involving trucks and buses in the United States each year. Though estimates are wide-ranging, possibly 10 to 20 percent of these crashes might have involved fatigued drivers. The stresses associated with their particular jobs (irregular schedules, etc.) and the lifestyle that many truck and bus drivers lead, puts them at substantial risk for insufficient sleep and for developing short- and long-term health problems. Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health and Highway Safety assesses the state of knowledge about the relationship of such factors as hours of driving, hours on duty, and periods of rest to the fatigue experienced by truck and bus drivers while driving and the implications for the safe operation of their vehicles. This report evaluates the relationship of these factors to drivers' health over the longer term, and identifies improvements in data and research methods that can lead to better understanding in both areas.