Cvejic, Erin, Birch, Rachael C, Vollmer-Conna, Uté · Current rheumatology reports · 2016 · DOI
People with ME/CFS commonly experience 'brain fog'—problems with memory, attention, and concentration. While these cognitive problems are real and significantly impact daily life, the exact biological causes remain unclear. This review suggests that problems with blood flow to the brain and nervous system dysfunction may be involved, and calls for standardized testing methods to better understand what's happening.
Cognitive dysfunction significantly impacts quality of life and work capacity for many ME/CFS patients, yet it remains poorly understood and underaddressed in clinical care. This review highlights the need for standardized assessment tools and mechanistic research, which could lead to better clinical understanding and targeted treatments for this debilitating symptom.
This review does not establish the specific biological mechanisms causing cognitive impairment in ME/CFS, nor does it prove that autonomic or cerebral blood flow changes are the primary causes rather than correlates. It also cannot determine why cognitive dysfunction varies so widely between patients or identify which patients will experience severe versus mild cognitive symptoms.
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
Cvejic, Erin, Birch, Rachael C, & Vollmer-Conna, Uté (2016). Cognitive Dysfunction in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a Review of Recent Evidence.. Current rheumatology reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-016-0577-9
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-cvejic-2016-cognitive-dysfunction,
author = {Cvejic, Erin and Birch, Rachael C and Vollmer-Conna, Uté},
title = {Cognitive Dysfunction in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a Review of Recent Evidence.},
journal = {Current rheumatology reports},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1007/s11926-016-0577-9},
note = {PubMed: 27032787},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/cvejic-2016-cognitive-dysfunction},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/cvejic-2016-cognitive-dysfunction
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