What is it about?
Fatigue—an extreme form of tiredness not relieved by rest—is a common symptom in post-COVID condition. While usually seen as a subjective feeling, this study explores an objective side of fatigue: performance fatigability, which means the decline in cognitive performance over time. This study included 34 people with post-COVID fatigue and 36 healthy controls. Participants reported their subjective fatigue levels and completed cognitive tests twice in one session to measure changes in performance. Results showed that the post-COVID group had performance fatigability in tasks involving processing speed. While the control group improved their performance on the second round of tests, which is expected due to a so called practice effect, the post covid group did not improve. Interestingly, there was no link between subjective fatigue and performance fatigability, suggesting these may be separate aspects of fatigue. Key findings: 1. Post-COVID individuals show cognitive performance fatigability. 2. Subjective fatigue and performance fatigability appear to be distinct.
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Why is it important?
This study shows that performance fatigability is present in post covid, meaning that affected individuals may struggle to maintain mental performance over time—a problem not captured by self-reports. Despite this, self-reports are usually the only way we measure fatigue both in rsearch and in clinical practice. The results highlights the need to measure both subjective fatigue and performance fatigability to fully understand what fatigue is and how it affects function in daily life. More research is needed to understand performance fatigability , as well as the mechanisms behind it, in post covid and other patient groups living with fatigue.
Perspectives
As a clinical psychologist working with individuals experiencing fatigue, I often hear how it impairs daily functioning. While subjective fatigue is well documented, its impact on actual performance is often overlooked. Gaining a better understanding of these performance-related aspects—both clinically and scientifically—is highly valuable.
Agnes Andersson
Linkoping University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cognitive performance fatigability, perceived fatigability, and trait fatigue in post-COVID-19 condition: A cross-sectional study., Neuropsychology, July 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/neu0001020.
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