DeLuca, J, Johnson, S K, Natelson, B H · Archives of neurology · 1993 · DOI
This study compared thinking and concentration abilities in people with ME/CFS, people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy volunteers. All participants were matched by age and education level. People with ME/CFS and MS both showed difficulty with tasks requiring fast, complex thinking compared to healthy controls, suggesting that ME/CFS may affect how the brain processes information.
This study provides controlled evidence that cognitive dysfunction in ME/CFS is not simply explained by depression or general intelligence loss, but reflects specific difficulty processing complex information quickly. This finding validates patient-reported cognitive complaints and suggests a biological basis for 'brain fog' symptoms, informing research into ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This cross-sectional study does not establish causation or the underlying neurobiological mechanism of cognitive impairment. The small sample size (12 ME/CFS patients, all female) limits generalizability. The study does not clarify whether information processing deficits worsen with exertion (post-exertional malaise) or remain stable, which is a key distinction in ME/CFS.
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
DeLuca, J, Johnson, S K, & Natelson, B H (1993). Information processing efficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1993.00540030065016
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-deluca-1993-information-processing,
author = {DeLuca, J and Johnson, S K and Natelson, B H},
title = {Information processing efficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.1993.00540030065016},
note = {PubMed: 8442710},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/deluca-1993-information-processing},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/deluca-1993-information-processing
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