Lawrie, S M, MacHale, S M, Cavanagh, J T et al. · Psychological medicine · 2000 · DOI
This study compared thinking and physical abilities in people with ME/CFS, people with depression, and healthy individuals. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had worse memory and thinking skills than healthy people, but generally better than those with depression. Both ME/CFS and depression groups showed significant problems with muscle strength and motor control compared to healthy controls.
This research helps distinguish ME/CFS from depression by identifying specific patterns of cognitive and motor dysfunction that differ between the conditions. Understanding these differences is crucial for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, as ME/CFS and depression are often confused despite potentially different underlying biological mechanisms.
This study does not prove that motor or cognitive changes cause ME/CFS or depression—it only shows associations. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or identify whether observed dysfunction is primary or secondary to disease. These findings apply only to the specific test battery used and may not generalize to all patients or populations.
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
Lawrie, S M, MacHale, S M, Cavanagh, J T, O'Carroll, R E, & Goodwin, G M (2000). The difference in patterns of motor and cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome and severe depressive illness.. Psychological medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291799001816
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lawrie-2000-difference-patterns,
author = {Lawrie, S M and MacHale, S M and Cavanagh, J T and O'Carroll, R E and Goodwin, G M},
title = {The difference in patterns of motor and cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome and severe depressive illness.},
journal = {Psychological medicine},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1017/s0033291799001816},
note = {PubMed: 10824663},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lawrie-2000-difference-patterns},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lawrie-2000-difference-patterns
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