Mizuno, Kei, Kawatani, Junko, Tajima, Kanako et al. · NeuroImage. Clinical · 2016 · DOI
This study looked at how the brains of children with ME/CFS respond to rewards compared to healthy children. Using brain imaging, researchers found that a brain region called the putamen (involved in motivation) showed less activity in children with ME/CFS, especially when facing smaller rewards. Lower activity in this area was linked to worse fatigue and less enjoyment from learning.
Cognitive dysfunction is a hallmark of ME/CFS, and understanding its neural basis is crucial for developing effective interventions. This study provides neurobiological evidence that impaired reward processing and motivation may contribute to cognitive difficulties in ME/CFS, potentially opening new avenues for treatment targeting dopamine system function.
This study does not prove that altered putamen activity causes ME/CFS or cognitive dysfunction; it only shows an association. The small sample size and cross-sectional design limit generalizability and prevent determination of whether brain changes precede, accompany, or result from ME/CFS. It does not establish whether dopamine dysfunction is a primary cause or secondary consequence of the 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
Mizuno, Kei, Kawatani, Junko, Tajima, Kanako, Sasaki, Akihiro T, Yoneda, Tetsuya, Komi, Masanori, et al. (2016). Low putamen activity associated with poor reward sensitivity in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.. NeuroImage. Clinical. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2016.09.016
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mizuno-2016-low-putamen,
author = {Mizuno, Kei and Kawatani, Junko and Tajima, Kanako and Sasaki, Akihiro T and Yoneda, Tetsuya and Komi, Masanori and Hirai, Toshinori and Tomoda, Akemi and Joudoi, Takako and Watanabe, Yasuyoshi},
title = {Low putamen activity associated with poor reward sensitivity in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {NeuroImage. Clinical},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1016/j.nicl.2016.09.016},
note = {PubMed: 27709065},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mizuno-2016-low-putamen},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mizuno-2016-low-putamen
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