Kutz, Dieter F, Garbsch, René, Mooren, Frank C et al. · Brain communications · 2026 · DOI
This study looked at how blood flow in the brain changes when people with post-COVID-19 syndrome try to do mental tasks. Researchers used special infrared cameras to watch blood flow in the thinking part of the brain while patients did concentration exercises. They found that people with post-COVID-19 had unusual, less flexible blood flow patterns compared to healthy people, which may help explain why they feel mentally tired and have trouble concentrating.
This research provides objective neurobiological evidence of cognitive dysfunction in post-COVID-19 syndrome and suggests similar mechanisms may affect ME/CFS patients. The novel analytical approach could become a biomarker for disease severity and cognitive symptom burden, potentially enabling better diagnosis and monitoring of treatment effectiveness in both conditions.
This study does not prove that blood flow changes are the primary cause of cognitive fatigue—only that they are associated with it. The cross-sectional design cannot establish whether these blood flow patterns precede, follow, or are independent of post-COVID-19 syndrome onset. Results are limited to post-COVID-19 syndrome and require validation in ME/CFS populations before conclusions can be generalized.
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
Kutz, Dieter F, Garbsch, René, Mooren, Frank C, Schmitz, Boris, & Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia (2026). Assessment of dynamic cerebral blood flow changes during cognitive tasks in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.. Brain communications. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag036
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kutz-2026-assessment-dynamic,
author = {Kutz, Dieter F and Garbsch, René and Mooren, Frank C and Schmitz, Boris and Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia},
title = {Assessment of dynamic cerebral blood flow changes during cognitive tasks in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.},
journal = {Brain communications},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcag036},
note = {PubMed: 41728261},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kutz-2026-assessment-dynamic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kutz-2026-assessment-dynamic
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