Nakatomi, Yasuhito, Mizuno, Kei, Ishii, Akira et al. · Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2014 · DOI
This study used a special brain imaging technique called PET scans to look for signs of inflammation in the brains of ME/CFS patients. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had higher levels of brain inflammation markers in several key brain regions compared to healthy controls. The amount of inflammation was linked to how severe patients' cognitive problems, pain, and depression were.
This was the first direct neuroimaging evidence of brain inflammation in ME/CFS patients, moving beyond speculation to demonstrate a biological mechanism. The correlation between inflammation levels and symptom severity suggests neuroinflammation may be central to ME/CFS pathophysiology, potentially supporting development of both objective diagnostic biomarkers and targeted anti-inflammatory treatments.
This study does not prove that neuroinflammation causes ME/CFS symptoms—only that the two are correlated. The small sample size and lack of longitudinal follow-up mean findings cannot confirm whether inflammation precedes symptom onset or changes with disease progression. It also does not establish whether targeting this inflammation would effectively treat the disease.
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
Nakatomi, Yasuhito, Mizuno, Kei, Ishii, Akira, Wada, Yasuhiro, Tanaka, Masaaki, Tazawa, Shusaku, et al. (2014). Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An ¹¹C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study.. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.113.131045
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-nakatomi-2014-neuroinflammation-patients,
author = {Nakatomi, Yasuhito and Mizuno, Kei and Ishii, Akira and Wada, Yasuhiro and Tanaka, Masaaki and Tazawa, Shusaku and Onoe, Kayo and Fukuda, Sanae and Kawabe, Joji and Takahashi, Kazuhiro and Kataoka, Yosky and Shiomi, Susumu and Yamaguti, Kouzi and Inaba, Masaaki and Kuratsune, Hirohiko and Watanabe, Yasuyoshi},
title = {Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An ¹¹C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study.},
journal = {Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.2967/jnumed.113.131045},
note = {PubMed: 24665088},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nakatomi-2014-neuroinflammation-patients},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nakatomi-2014-neuroinflammation-patients
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