Measuring fatique following acquired brain injury: a validation study of the psychomotor vigilance test

Fatigue is a frequent symptom following acquired brain injury. Assessment is usually based on self-report, but additional objective measures are advised. The Psychomotor Vigilance Test has previously been found to be sensitive to the effects of acquired brain injury and performance on this test may relate to fatigue and sleepiness. This study examined whether Psychomotor Vigilance Test performance in people with acquired brain injury is associated with fatigue, after controlling for daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, and mood. The study found that performance on this test is related to fatigue, but also to sleepiness and mood. The Psychomotor Vigilance Test therefore cannot be used as a specific measure for fatigue, but could be used to measure changes or improvement of symptoms including fatigue, mood and sleepiness. The Psychomotor Vigilance Test thus has the potential to be implemented as an objective measure to evaluate these symptoms following acquired brain injury in both research and clinical practice.

疲劳是获得性脑损伤后常见的症状。评估通常基于自我报告，但建议补充客观测量方法。此前研究发现，精神运动警觉性测试（Psychomotor Vigilance Test）对获得性脑损伤的影响具有敏感性，且该测试的表现可能与疲劳和嗜睡相关。本研究在控制日间嗜睡、睡眠质量和情绪的影响后，探讨了获得性脑损伤患者的精神运动警觉性测试表现是否与疲劳相关。研究发现，该测试的表现不仅与疲劳相关，还与嗜睡和情绪相关。因此，精神运动警觉性测试不能作为疲劳的特异性测量工具，但可用于评估包括疲劳、情绪和嗜睡在内的症状变化或改善情况。因此，精神运动警觉性测试有望作为一种客观测量工具，在获得性脑损伤后的研究和临床实践中用于评估这些症状。