McCarthy, Michael J · Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2022 · DOI
This review examines whether disrupted body clocks (circadian rhythms) contribute to ME/CFS symptoms like fatigue, sleep problems, and cognitive difficulties. The authors focus on a specific immune molecule called TGFB that may interfere with the body's natural daily rhythms. They suggest that COVID-19 infections may cause similar circadian disruptions, potentially explaining why some people develop long COVID symptoms that resemble ME/CFS.
This study bridges emerging chronobiology research with ME/CFS pathophysiology at a critical moment, as long COVID increases public awareness of ME/CFS-like conditions. Understanding circadian rhythm disruption as a potential mechanism could lead to new diagnostic markers and targeted therapies (such as chronotherapeutic interventions) for both ME/CFS and PASC. The focus on TGFB as a testable molecular bridge between circadian function and ME/CFS symptoms offers a concrete research direction.
This review does not establish that circadian rhythm disruption is the primary cause of ME/CFS, nor does it provide new experimental evidence proving TGFB dysfunction drives ME/CFS symptoms. The authors explicitly acknowledge that existing evidence remains inconclusive and that correlation between circadian abnormalities and ME/CFS does not confirm causation. This is a conceptual framework rather than a definitive mechanistic proof.
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
McCarthy, Michael J (2022). Circadian rhythm disruption in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100412
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mccarthy-2022-circadian-rhythm,
author = {McCarthy, Michael J},
title = {Circadian rhythm disruption in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.},
journal = {Brain, behavior, & immunity - health},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100412},
note = {PubMed: 35465246},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mccarthy-2022-circadian-rhythm},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mccarthy-2022-circadian-rhythm
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