Somatosensory processing in long COVID fatigue and its relations with physiological and psychological factors

Thomas, Bethan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0294-6839, Pattinson, Rachael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3145-3710, Bundy, Christine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5981-3984 and Davies, Jennifer L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7635-4815 2024. Somatosensory processing in long COVID fatigue and its relations with physiological and psychological factors. Experimental Physiology 109 (10) , pp. 1637-1649. 10.1113/ep091988

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Abstract

Fatigue is prevalent amongst people with long COVID, but is poorly understood. The sensory attenuation framework proposes that impairments in sensory processing lead to heightened perception of effort, driving fatigue. This study aims to investigate the role of somatosensory processing impairments in long COVID fatigue and quantify how sensory processing relates to other prominent symptoms of long COVID including autonomic dysfunction, mood and illness beliefs in driving the experience of fatigue. We will recruit 44 individuals with long COVID fatigue and 44 individuals with neither long COVID nor fatigue (controls). Our primary objective is to compare baseline somatosensory processing between individuals with long COVID fatigue and controls. Additionally, we will explore the associations between somatosensory processing, fatigability and the level of fatigue induced by cognitive and physical exertion. Due to the complex nature of fatigue, we will also investigate how long COVID, state fatigue, perceived effort, mood, illness beliefs, autonomic symptoms and autonomic nervous system function interact to predict trait fatigue. This comprehensive investigation aims to elucidate how sensory processing and other prominent symptoms interact to impact the experience of fatigue.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Dentistry Healthcare Sciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley Open Access
ISSN:	0958-0670
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 August 2024
Date of Acceptance:	18 July 2024
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2024 15:18
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/171244

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