Why Can’t We Think Well When We’re Sick?

This isn’t specif­i­cally about CFS/ME or FMS, but I found it inter­est­ing, and I think it makes sense.

Why Men­tal Lethargy When Sick

Dur­ing an infec­tion, humans typ­i­cally expe­ri­ence a set of phys­i­o­log­i­cal and psy­cho­log­i­cal symp­toms, includ­ing fever, con­fu­sion, decreased moti­va­tion, depres­sion and anx­i­ety that are accom­pa­nied by a slow­ing of movements.

These changes, col­lec­tively known as “sick­ness behav­ior,” are the body’s way of con­serv­ing energy dur­ing ill­ness so that an effec­tive immune response can be launched. This new study helps researchers fur­ther under­stand how cytokines com­mu­ni­cate between the immune sys­tem and the brain to pro­mote sick­ness behavior.

Since many peo­ple with CFS/ME have chronic fevers and other symp­toms sim­i­lar to those of infec­tious ill­nesses, I have to won­der if the results of this study will be exam­ined with regards to CFS/ME.

June 12, 2008  Tags: CFS/ME, cognitive deficits, cytokines, fevers, infection  Posted in: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, From the news

One Response

  1. Michelle - July 4, 2008

    Actu­ally it is — but unfor­tu­nately not in the good way. James Jones, a virol­o­gist who stud­ies ME/CFS at the Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol, wrote a paper recently argu­ing that peo­ple with ME/CFS have become stuck in sick­ness behav­ior even though we are no longer sick. And because we are stuck in this aber­rant sick­ness behav­ior, we’re too focused on every lit­tle thing we’re feel­ing, or rather have height­ened “inte­ro­cep­tion”. His cure, as you might imag­ine, is cog­ni­tive behav­ioral therapy.

    You can read the paper at the Co-Cure board here:

    http://tinyurl.com/2wen2z (I hope that link works!)

    Now, what would make inter­est­ing research is look­ing at the bio­log­i­cal rea­sons we are in a chronic state of sick­ness behav­ior. :-)

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