Glassford, Julian A G · Frontiers in physiology · 2017 · DOI
This article reviews research suggesting that ME/CFS may result from problems in how the nervous system and immune system interact. The author discusses how physical strain on the spine and nerves, combined with prolonged infections and immune activation, may trigger a chain reaction of inflammation in the brain and throughout the body. This inflammation can affect energy production, hormone balance, and how the body processes pain.
This review provides patients and clinicians with a comprehensive framework for understanding how multiple biological systems may interact to produce ME/CFS symptoms. By integrating disparate research findings into a coherent disease model, it helps legitimize ME/CFS as a neurological condition and may guide future research priorities and therapeutic targets.
This review does not prove causation—it synthesizes existing research without presenting new experimental evidence. It cannot determine which proposed mechanism is primary or whether all three factors are necessary for disease development. The relative importance of postural/biomechanical versus infectious triggers remains unresolved.
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
Glassford, Julian A G (2017). The Neuroinflammatory Etiopathology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).. Frontiers in physiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00088
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-glassford-2017-neuroinflammatory-etiopathology,
author = {Glassford, Julian A G},
title = {The Neuroinflammatory Etiopathology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).},
journal = {Frontiers in physiology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2017.00088},
note = {PubMed: 28261110},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/glassford-2017-neuroinflammatory-etiopathology},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/glassford-2017-neuroinflammatory-etiopathology
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