Bassi, Nicola, Amital, Daniela, Amital, Howard et al. · The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ · 2008
This review examines multiple biological abnormalities that might explain ME/CFS symptoms. Researchers found evidence that the immune system may not work properly in ME/CFS patients, with potential problems in natural killer cells, antibody levels, and inflammatory markers. The study also suggests that certain autoantibodies and problems with chemical messengers in the nervous system might contribute to fatigue, brain fog, and muscle pain.
Understanding potential biological mechanisms of ME/CFS is crucial for developing diagnostic tests and targeted treatments. This synthesis of immune and neurological abnormalities helps validate that ME/CFS has objective biological basis rather than being purely psychological, which remains important for patient recognition and clinical research direction.
This review does not establish causation—identifying abnormalities does not prove they cause ME/CFS symptoms. It does not determine whether abnormalities are primary disease drivers or secondary effects of chronic illness and reduced activity. The 2008 publication date means more recent mechanistic research is not included, and findings require replication in controlled studies.
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
Bassi, Nicola, Amital, Daniela, Amital, Howard, Doria, Andrea, & Shoenfeld, Yehuda (2008). Chronic fatigue syndrome: characteristics and possible causes for its pathogenesis.. The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18300582/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-bassi-2008-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Bassi, Nicola and Amital, Daniela and Amital, Howard and Doria, Andrea and Shoenfeld, Yehuda},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome: characteristics and possible causes for its pathogenesis.},
journal = {The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ},
year = {2008},
note = {PubMed: 18300582},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bassi-2008-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/bassi-2008-chronic-fatigue
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