Lee, Jin-Seok, Jeon, Yoo-Jin, Park, Samuel-Young et al. · Biomolecules · 2020 · DOI
Researchers tested three different mouse models to find the best one for studying ME/CFS. They found that removing the adrenal glands (small organs that produce stress hormones) in mice created fatigue and pain symptoms most similar to ME/CFS, while other common models mainly produced depression-like behaviors. The adrenal-removed mice also showed specific brain changes involving inflammation and stress hormone pathways.
Finding an appropriate animal model is critical for understanding ME/CFS mechanisms and testing potential treatments. This study suggests the neuroendocrine system—particularly adrenal dysfunction—may be central to ME/CFS pathology, potentially explaining why existing models focused on immune activation fall short. This could redirect research toward investigating hormone dysregulation as a therapeutic target.
This study does not prove that adrenal gland removal causes human ME/CFS or that adrenal insufficiency is the primary cause in patients. Animal models approximate but do not perfectly replicate human disease. The findings are correlational and do not establish whether astrocyte activation and TGF-β changes are drivers of fatigue or secondary consequences.
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
Lee, Jin-Seok, Jeon, Yoo-Jin, Park, Samuel-Young, & Son, Chang-Gue (2020). An Adrenalectomy Mouse Model Reflecting Clinical Features for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Biomolecules. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10010071
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lee-2020-adrenalectomy-mouse,
author = {Lee, Jin-Seok and Jeon, Yoo-Jin and Park, Samuel-Young and Son, Chang-Gue},
title = {An Adrenalectomy Mouse Model Reflecting Clinical Features for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.3390/biom10010071},
note = {PubMed: 31906307},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lee-2020-adrenalectomy-mouse},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lee-2020-adrenalectomy-mouse
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