Baĭdina, T V, Akintseva, Iu V, Trushnikova, T N · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2014
This study looked at fatigue in 60 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and compared them to 12 healthy people. Researchers measured fatigue using a standardized scale and checked levels of serotonin (a chemical messenger) in blood platelets. They found that nearly 58% of MS patients experienced severe fatigue, and these patients had lower serotonin levels that seemed connected to their MS symptoms.
Although this study focuses on MS rather than ME/CFS specifically, it provides evidence that low serotonin levels may be associated with chronic fatigue in neurological conditions. Understanding biological markers like serotonin in fatigue-related illnesses could help researchers identify shared mechanisms across different fatiguing conditions and develop targeted treatments.
This study does not prove that low serotonin *causes* fatigue—it only shows an association. The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal relationships or determine whether serotonin changes are a cause or consequence of fatigue. Additionally, this MS population may have different fatigue biology than ME/CFS patients, so findings cannot be directly applied to ME/CFS without further research.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Baĭdina, T V, Akintseva, Iu V, & Trushnikova, T N (2014). [A chronic fatigue syndrome and blood platelet serotonin levels in patients with multiple sclerosis].. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24662353/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-badina-2014-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Baĭdina, T V and Akintseva, Iu V and Trushnikova, T N},
title = {[A chronic fatigue syndrome and blood platelet serotonin levels in patients with multiple sclerosis].},
journal = {Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova},
year = {2014},
note = {PubMed: 24662353},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/badina-2014-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/badina-2014-chronic-fatigue
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