Gaudino, E A, Coyle, P K, Krupp, L B · Archives of neurology · 1997 · DOI
This study compared people with ME/CFS and people with post-Lyme syndrome (ongoing fatigue after Lyme disease treatment) to understand how their symptoms differ. Both groups had severe fatigue and trouble thinking clearly, but people with post-Lyme syndrome showed more significant problems with memory, attention, and processing speed than people with ME/CFS. The findings suggest these two conditions may involve different types of brain function problems despite feeling similar to patients.
Understanding neuropsychiatric differences between ME/CFS and post-Lyme syndrome helps clinicians differentiate these conditions and tailor treatments appropriately. The finding that cognitive deficits vary between disorders suggests different underlying biological mechanisms, which may guide future research into ME/CFS pathophysiology and potentially explain why some patients respond differently to interventions.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or disease progression over time, only associations at a single timepoint. The study does not prove whether cognitive deficits in post-Lyme syndrome persist indefinitely or improve with time. It also does not clarify whether observed cognitive differences reflect distinct neurobiological mechanisms or different patient populations with different premorbid characteristics.
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
Gaudino, E A, Coyle, P K, & Krupp, L B (1997). Post-Lyme syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. Neuropsychiatric similarities and differences.. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1997.00550230045015
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gaudino-1997-post-lyme,
author = {Gaudino, E A and Coyle, P K and Krupp, L B},
title = {Post-Lyme syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. Neuropsychiatric similarities and differences.},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.1997.00550230045015},
note = {PubMed: 9362985},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gaudino-1997-post-lyme},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gaudino-1997-post-lyme
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