Noda, Mami, Ifuku, Masataka, Hossain, Md Shamim et al. · Frontiers in psychiatry · 2018 · DOI
This review examines how brain inflammation might cause ME/CFS symptoms. When the body fights off a viral infection, special immune cells in the brain called microglia and astrocytes can become overactive and trigger a chain of events that reduces serotonin levels—a chemical important for mood and energy. Understanding this pathway could help researchers develop new treatments for ME/CFS.
This research provides a testable molecular framework for how infection or immune activation could trigger and maintain ME/CFS symptoms. Identifying specific pathways like serotonin dysregulation offers concrete targets for future drug development, potentially offering new treatment options for ME/CFS patients who currently lack effective therapies.
This review does not provide direct human evidence that these mechanisms actually occur in ME/CFS patients—it synthesizes animal and cellular models. It does not prove that all cases of ME/CFS involve viral triggers or these specific immune pathways. The model describes association and proposed mechanisms, not definitive causation in human 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
Noda, Mami, Ifuku, Masataka, Hossain, Md Shamim, & Katafuchi, Toshihiko (2018). Glial Activation and Expression of the Serotonin Transporter in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Frontiers in psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00589
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-noda-2018-glial-activation,
author = {Noda, Mami and Ifuku, Masataka and Hossain, Md Shamim and Katafuchi, Toshihiko},
title = {Glial Activation and Expression of the Serotonin Transporter in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00589},
note = {PubMed: 30505285},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/noda-2018-glial-activation},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/noda-2018-glial-activation
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