Li, Yong-jie, Gao, Xu-guang, Wang, De-Xin et al. · Zhonghua yi xue za zhi · 2005
This study looked at how ME/CFS affects thinking and memory in 91 Chinese patients compared to 30 healthy people. Researchers found that 90% of ME/CFS patients had problems with memory and attention, and most also experienced depression, anxiety, and obsessive thoughts. The results show that ME/CFS causes real cognitive problems that are different from those seen in psychiatric illnesses alone.
This study provides quantitative evidence that cognitive dysfunction ('brain fog') is a cardinal feature of ME/CFS in a large non-Western population, supporting the biological rather than purely psychiatric nature of the condition. The findings help validate patient experiences of memory and attention problems as objectively measurable impairments, which can improve clinical recognition and reduce diagnostic bias.
This cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or temporal relationships—it does not prove whether cognitive impairment causes psychological symptoms or vice versa. The study does not identify the biological mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction, nor does it address whether these findings generalize to ME/CFS patients in other geographic or cultural populations. The study also does not explore whether the observed psychological symptoms are primary to ME/CFS or secondary to the burden of chronic illness.
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
Li, Yong-jie, Gao, Xu-guang, Wang, De-Xin, Lin, Tao, Bai, Xiao-li, & Yang, Feng-zhen (2005). [Cognitive function and psychological characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].. Zhonghua yi xue za zhi. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16324367/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-li-2005-cognitive-function,
author = {Li, Yong-jie and Gao, Xu-guang and Wang, De-Xin and Lin, Tao and Bai, Xiao-li and Yang, Feng-zhen},
title = {[Cognitive function and psychological characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].},
journal = {Zhonghua yi xue za zhi},
year = {2005},
note = {PubMed: 16324367},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/li-2005-cognitive-function},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/li-2005-cognitive-function
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