Geisser, Michael E, Strader Donnell, Cathy, Petzke, Frank et al. · Psychosomatics · 2008 · DOI
This study looked at why people with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS experience so many body symptoms. Researchers found that both conditions may share a common problem: the nervous system amplifies sensory signals, making pain and other sensations feel stronger than they might to other people. This heightened sensitivity to stimulation appears to be a key reason why these conditions affect daily functioning, and this mechanism seems separate from depression.
Understanding that ME/CFS and fibromyalgia may share a common mechanism of heightened sensory processing could lead to better-targeted treatments. This research validates that the symptom burden in these conditions has a neurobiological basis distinct from psychiatric causes, which may reduce stigma and improve how patients are understood by healthcare providers.
This study cannot establish causation—it only shows that sensory amplification and physical functioning are associated. The findings apply specifically to the 38 participants studied and may not generalize to all ME/CFS patients. The study does not prove sensory amplification is the sole mechanism driving these conditions or explain what causes the sensory amplification itself.
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
Geisser, Michael E, Strader Donnell, Cathy, Petzke, Frank, Gracely, Richard H, Clauw, Daniel J, & Williams, David A (2008). Comorbid somatic symptoms and functional status in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: sensory amplification as a common mechanism.. Psychosomatics. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.49.3.235
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-geisser-2008-comorbid-somatic,
author = {Geisser, Michael E and Strader Donnell, Cathy and Petzke, Frank and Gracely, Richard H and Clauw, Daniel J and Williams, David A},
title = {Comorbid somatic symptoms and functional status in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: sensory amplification as a common mechanism.},
journal = {Psychosomatics},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1176/appi.psy.49.3.235},
note = {PubMed: 18448779},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/geisser-2008-comorbid-somatic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/geisser-2008-comorbid-somatic
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