Ng, Beng-Yeong, Lim, C C Tchoyoson, Yeoh, Alice et al. · The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2004 · DOI
This study followed 9 people who had Nipah virus brain inflammation for 2 years to see what happened to them afterward. Most developed psychiatric symptoms like depression or personality changes, and nearly all showed memory and attention problems. Interestingly, two patients developed chronic fatigue syndrome after their initial illness recovered.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it documents post-infectious neuropsychiatric and cognitive sequelae following viral encephalitis, including fatigue syndrome development. The documented pattern of delayed psychiatric onset and persistent cognitive deficits without clear structural correlation parallels observations in post-viral ME/CFS, potentially informing understanding of mechanisms in post-infectious illness.
This study does not prove that Nipah virus causes ME/CFS or that the fatigue syndrome in these patients is identical to ME/CFS. It also does not establish causation between brain lesion burden and cognitive/psychiatric symptoms, only the absence of a discernible trend. The small sample size and lack of control group limit generalizability to other populations or post-infectious conditions.
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
Ng, Beng-Yeong, Lim, C C Tchoyoson, Yeoh, Alice, & Lee, W L (2004). Neuropsychiatric sequelae of Nipah virus encephalitis.. The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.16.4.500
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ng-2004-neuropsychiatric-sequelae,
author = {Ng, Beng-Yeong and Lim, C C Tchoyoson and Yeoh, Alice and Lee, W L},
title = {Neuropsychiatric sequelae of Nipah virus encephalitis.},
journal = {The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1176/jnp.16.4.500},
note = {PubMed: 15616178},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ng-2004-neuropsychiatric-sequelae},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ng-2004-neuropsychiatric-sequelae
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