Hall, S R, Smith, A P · Neuropsychobiology · 1996 · DOI
This study looked at how infectious mononucleosis (IM) affects the brain and behavior in both the short and long term. Researchers tested memory, attention, coordination, and mood in people with acute IM, people who had recovered months earlier, and healthy controls. They found that acute IM caused similar brain and behavior problems to the flu, while people recovering from IM months later showed patterns similar to those seen in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.
This study provides evidence that viral infections like mononucleosis can cause lasting cognitive and behavioral effects similar to ME/CFS, helping researchers understand potential viral mechanisms underlying post-viral illness. For ME/CFS patients, it offers validation that cognitive problems following viral infection are real, measurable changes—not merely psychological—and suggests investigating viral triggers as an important research direction.
This study does not prove that mononucleosis causes ME/CFS, only that some long-term effects of IM resemble ME/CFS patterns. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or determine whether observed impairments persist indefinitely or eventually resolve. It also does not establish what specific viral mechanisms cause these cognitive effects.
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
Hall, S R & Smith, A P (1996). Behavioural effects of infectious mononucleosis.. Neuropsychobiology. https://doi.org/10.1159/000119278
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hall-1996-behavioural-effects,
author = {Hall, S R and Smith, A P},
title = {Behavioural effects of infectious mononucleosis.},
journal = {Neuropsychobiology},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1159/000119278},
note = {PubMed: 8840344},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hall-1996-behavioural-effects},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hall-1996-behavioural-effects
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