Depression and CFS can be differentiated by psychophysiological measures.

2004 OCT 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study from Canada says patients with depression and those with chronic fatigue syndrome can be differentiated using psychophysiological measures.

"Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has an estimated prevalence between 0.5% and 3%, yet its diagnosis remains contentious," said H. Pazderka-Robinson and colleagues at Alberta Hospital, Edmonton.

They continued: "CFS is characterized by subjective symptoms that can be difficult to verify; moreover, depression is a commonly reported CFS complaint, whereas fatigue is a common symptom of depression. Our primary goal was dissociation of these disorders using psychophysiological methods."

Based on findings of earlier studies that suggested a possible role for the autonomic nervous system in CFS, Pazderka-Robinson and coworkers analyzed "bilateral electrodermal and skin temperature responses of dextral females in a cross-modal orienting task" in a group of women with depression, a group with CFS, and a group serving as controls.

The researchers reported that "multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) examining three measures of electrodermal activity revealed prestimulus tonic skin conductance levels (SCLs) were markedly lower for the CFS group, with no difference between controls and depressives. Concurrent skin temperature levels were higher for the ...