Jammes, Yves, Retornaz, Frédérique · F1000Research · 2019 · DOI
This study examined how muscles work differently in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that both the brain's ability to signal muscles and the muscles' ability to respond are impaired in ME/CFS patients. The muscles also appear to have trouble managing harmful molecules called free radicals, especially after exercise, and they may not be producing enough protective proteins that normally shield cells from damage.
Understanding the specific muscle and nerve mechanisms underlying ME/CFS fatigue could identify new therapeutic targets, particularly interventions aimed at reducing oxidative stress or enhancing heat shock protein production. This work provides a mechanistic framework that connects cellular dysfunction to the exercise intolerance patients experience, potentially validating why post-exertional malaise occurs and informing treatment development.
This review does not establish causation or prove that oxidative stress and impaired HSP formation are the primary cause of ME/CFS—it identifies associations and proposes mechanisms. The study does not provide new experimental data and cannot distinguish whether the observed neuromuscular abnormalities are primary disease mechanisms or secondary consequences of deconditioning and prolonged illness.
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
Jammes, Yves & Retornaz, Frédérique (2019). Understanding neuromuscular disorders in chronic fatigue syndrome.. F1000Research. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.18660.1
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-jammes-2019-understanding-neuromuscular,
author = {Jammes, Yves and Retornaz, Frédérique},
title = {Understanding neuromuscular disorders in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {F1000Research},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.12688/f1000research.18660.1},
note = {PubMed: 31814961},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jammes-2019-understanding-neuromuscular},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jammes-2019-understanding-neuromuscular
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