Light, Kathleen C, White, Andrea T, Tadler, Scott et al. · Pain research and treatment · 2012 · DOI
This study looked at genes and how they are expressed (turned on or off) in people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers focused on three main biological systems: the stress response system, the hormone system that controls stress, and the serotonin system (which affects mood and pain). They found that certain genes, particularly those controlling stress hormones and pain sensing, may play a role in why some people develop or maintain these conditions.
Understanding the genetic and molecular basis of ME/CFS could help explain why objective biological dysfunction occurs despite reliance on subjective symptom criteria for diagnosis. Identifying specific dysregulated pathways may eventually lead to targeted treatments and improve recognition of the disease's physiological nature. This work supports the concept that ME/CFS involves measurable biological abnormalities, not just psychological factors.
This review does not prove that any single gene causes ME/CFS or fibromyalgia; rather, it identifies associations suggesting genetic contributions to susceptibility. The study cannot establish causation from correlations or distinguish between primary genetic effects and secondary gene expression changes resulting from chronic illness. It also does not account for how medications (particularly antidepressants) or comorbid depression may influence the observed gene expression patterns.
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
Light, Kathleen C, White, Andrea T, Tadler, Scott, Iacob, Eli, & Light, Alan R (2012). Genetics and Gene Expression Involving Stress and Distress Pathways in Fibromyalgia with and without Comorbid Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Pain research and treatment. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/427869
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-light-2012-genetics-gene,
author = {Light, Kathleen C and White, Andrea T and Tadler, Scott and Iacob, Eli and Light, Alan R},
title = {Genetics and Gene Expression Involving Stress and Distress Pathways in Fibromyalgia with and without Comorbid Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Pain research and treatment},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1155/2012/427869},
note = {PubMed: 22110941},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/light-2012-genetics-gene},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/light-2012-genetics-gene
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