Kurup, Ravi Kumar, Kurup, Parameswara Achutha · The International journal of neuroscience · 2003 · DOI
This study examined chemical pathways in the brains of 15 ME/CFS patients, focusing on how the body produces energy and manages stress. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had lower levels of important protective molecules and higher levels of harmful byproducts, along with imbalances in brain chemicals that affect mood, energy, and pain. The study suggests these biochemical problems may be linked to how the brain is organized in people with ME/CFS.
This study addresses fundamental biological questions about ME/CFS pathogenesis by identifying multiple dysregulated metabolic pathways and oxidative stress markers that could explain core symptoms like fatigue, pain, and cognitive dysfunction. Understanding these biochemical abnormalities may guide development of targeted interventions and biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring.
This study does not establish that the observed biochemical abnormalities are the primary cause of ME/CFS rather than secondary consequences, nor does it prove that hemispheric dominance is mechanistically responsible for these patterns. The small sample size and lack of healthy controls for all measurements limit generalizability, and correlation does not establish causation for the proposed pathways.
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
Kurup, Ravi Kumar & Kurup, Parameswara Achutha (2003). Hypothalamic digoxin, cerebral chemical dominance and myalgic encephalomyelitis.. The International journal of neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207450390200026
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kurup-2003-hypothalamic-digoxin,
author = {Kurup, Ravi Kumar and Kurup, Parameswara Achutha},
title = {Hypothalamic digoxin, cerebral chemical dominance and myalgic encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {The International journal of neuroscience},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1080/00207450390200026},
note = {PubMed: 12745627},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kurup-2003-hypothalamic-digoxin},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kurup-2003-hypothalamic-digoxin
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