Research on cognitive complaints and cognitive functioning in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): What conclusions can we draw?

People with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) complain of difficulties with concentration and memory yet studies suggest that they do not suffer gross deficits in cognitive functioning. Depressed patients make similar cognitive complaints, and there is symptomatic overlap between CFS and depression. Cognitive complaints and depressed mood are positively correlated in CFS patients but, except on tasks which are particularly sensitive to depression, cognitive performance and depression are not. The inconsistency between cognitive complaints and results of tests of cognitive functioning resembles that found in other subject groups and may be due in part to the inappropriate use of laboratory memory tests for assessing "everyday" cognitive functioning. Even when cognitive capacity is intact, cognitive performance may be affected by factors such as arousal, mood, and strategy. In CFS patients, everyday cognitive tasks may require excessive processing resources leaving patients with diminished spare attentional capacity or flexibility.