Michiels, V, Cluydts, R · Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2001 · DOI
This review looked at studies examining thinking and memory problems in ME/CFS patients. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS commonly experience slower thinking speed, difficulty holding information in working memory, and trouble learning new information. The study noted that brain scans haven't shown a consistent pattern that uniquely identifies ME/CFS patients, and that fatigue severity doesn't fully explain the cognitive problems.
This review provides patients with scientific validation that cognitive problems in ME/CFS are real and measurable, not simply related to mood or fatigue severity alone. For researchers, it identifies which cognitive domains are most affected and highlights methodological gaps that need standardization in future studies, potentially advancing understanding of the neurobiological basis of ME/CFS.
This review does not establish the underlying cause of cognitive dysfunction in ME/CFS, nor does it prove that cognitive impairment is specific to ME/CFS rather than associated with chronic illness generally. It cannot demonstrate causation between any particular brain abnormality and cognitive symptoms, only that previous studies found inconsistent neuroimaging findings.
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
Michiels, V & Cluydts, R (2001). Neuropsychological functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome: a review.. Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0447.2001.00017.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-michiels-2001-neuropsychological-functioning,
author = {Michiels, V and Cluydts, R},
title = {Neuropsychological functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome: a review.},
journal = {Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1034/j.1600-0447.2001.00017.x},
note = {PubMed: 11167310},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/michiels-2001-neuropsychological-functioning},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/michiels-2001-neuropsychological-functioning
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