The Conners Continuous Performance Test CPT3 ™ : Is it a reliable marker to predict neurocognitive dysfunction in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome?

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology Vol. 14; p. 1127193
• Main Authors: Fernández-Quirós, Judith, Lacasa-Cazcarra, Marcos, Alegre-Martín, Jose, Sanmartín-Sentañes, Ramón, Almirall, Miriam, Launois-Obregón, Patricia, Castro-Marrero, Jesús, Rodríguez-Urrutia, Amanda, Navarro-Sanchis, Jose A, Ramos-Quiroga, J Antoni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 27-02-2023
• Subjects: Central Sensitization Syndromes; cognitive impairments; continuous performance test; CPT3; neurocognitive dysfunction; neuropsychological test; Psychology; neurocognitive dysfunction; CPT3; Central Sensitization Syndromes; chronic fatigue syndrome; neuropsychological test; continuous performance test; cognitive impairments
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127193

The main objective is to delimit the cognitive dysfunction associated with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in adult patients by applying the Continuous Performance Test (CPT3
). Additionally, provide empirical evidence on the usefulness of this computerized neuropsychological test to assess ME/CFS.
The final sample (
= 225; 158 Patients/67 Healthy controls) were recruited in a Central Sensitization Syndromes (CSS) specialized unit in a tertiary hospital. All participants were administered this neuropsychological test.
There were significant differences between ME/CFS and healthy controls in all the main measures of CPT3
. Mainly, patients had a worse indicator of inattentiveness, sustained attention, vigilance, impulsivity, slow reaction time, and more atypical T-scores, which is associated with a likelihood of having a disorder characterized by attention deficits, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, relevant correlations were obtained between the CPT3
variables in the patient's group. The most discriminative indicators of ME/CFS patients were Variability and Hit Reaction Time, both measures of response speed.
The CPT3
is a helpful tool to discriminate neurocognitive impairments from attention and response speed in ME/CFS patients, and it could be used as a marker of ME/CFS severity for diagnosing or monitoring this disease.