Jason, Leonard A, Sorenson, Matthew, Porter, Nicole et al. · Neuroscience and medicine · 2011 · DOI
This study proposes that ME/CFS may develop through a process called 'kindling,' where the brain becomes increasingly sensitive to stress after repeated infections or injuries. Think of it like a fire alarm that has been triggered so many times it stays in an oversensitive state. Once this happens, the brain's stress system stays highly activated even without new triggers, which could explain why ME/CFS patients have such persistent symptoms.
Understanding the mechanisms behind ME/CFS is crucial for developing targeted treatments and validating patients' experiences. This model offers a biologically plausible explanation for why ME/CFS can develop after infections or trauma, and why symptoms persist and vary among patients—helping to move ME/CFS from a poorly understood condition to one with identified neurobiological underpinnings.
This is a theoretical model, not an empirical study with experimental data proving kindling occurs in ME/CFS patients. The paper does not establish causation or provide direct evidence that the LHP axis is actually kindled in ME/CFS; it proposes a framework that requires further testing. It also does not rule out other competing mechanisms or explain why only some people exposed to infections develop ME/CFS.
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
Jason, Leonard A, Sorenson, Matthew, Porter, Nicole, & Belkairous, Natalie (2011). An Etiological Model for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Neuroscience and medicine. https://doi.org/10.4236/nm.2011.21003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-jason-2011-etiological-model,
author = {Jason, Leonard A and Sorenson, Matthew and Porter, Nicole and Belkairous, Natalie},
title = {An Etiological Model for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Neuroscience and medicine},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.4236/nm.2011.21003},
note = {PubMed: 21892413},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jason-2011-etiological-model},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jason-2011-etiological-model
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.