Byrne, Hollie, Josev, Elisha K, Knight, Sarah J et al. · Brain structure & function · 2023 · DOI
This study looked at the size of the hypothalamus (a small part of the brain that controls many body functions) in teenagers with ME/CFS compared to healthy teenagers. While the overall brain structure sizes were similar between the two groups, researchers found that in ME/CFS patients, certain areas of the hypothalamus were slightly larger when fatigue was more severe, and other areas grew larger with longer illness duration. This suggests the hypothalamus may play a role in ME/CFS, though more research is needed to understand what this means.
The hypothalamus regulates critical functions disrupted in ME/CFS, including sleep, temperature control, and hormonal balance. This study provides preliminary evidence that structural brain changes in the hypothalamus may be linked to ME/CFS symptoms, potentially opening new avenues for understanding disease mechanisms and identifying biomarkers specific to adolescent ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that hypothalamic changes cause ME/CFS or explain the disease's underlying mechanisms—correlations observed do not establish causation. The small sample size, cross-sectional design, and weak associations mean findings may not generalize to all ME/CFS patients and require replication before clinical application. The study cannot determine whether brain changes precede illness onset or develop as a consequence of prolonged illness.
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 →
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Primary citation
Byrne, Hollie, Josev, Elisha K, Knight, Sarah J, Scheinberg, Adam, Rowe, Katherine, Lubitz, Lionel, et al. (2023). Hypothalamus volumes in adolescent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): impact of self-reported fatigue and illness duration.. Brain structure & function. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-023-02682-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-byrne-2023-hypothalamus-volumes,
author = {Byrne, Hollie and Josev, Elisha K and Knight, Sarah J and Scheinberg, Adam and Rowe, Katherine and Lubitz, Lionel and Seal, Marc L},
title = {Hypothalamus volumes in adolescent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): impact of self-reported fatigue and illness duration.},
journal = {Brain structure & function},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1007/s00429-023-02682-3},
note = {PubMed: 37537279},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/byrne-2023-hypothalamus-volumes},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/byrne-2023-hypothalamus-volumes
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