Peterson, D, Brenu, E W, Gottschalk, G et al. · Mediators of inflammation · 2015 · DOI
Researchers tested cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid around the brain and spinal cord) from ME/CFS patients and healthy controls to see if immune chemicals called cytokines were different. Out of 27 different immune chemicals tested, they found that only one—called IL-10—was lower in ME/CFS patients. This suggests that immune system problems in the brain and nervous system may play a role in ME/CFS symptoms.
This study is one of very few to directly examine immune markers in the cerebrospinal fluid of ME/CFS patients, providing rare evidence that neuroinflammation may be relevant to the condition. Understanding what happens in the brain and spinal fluid is crucial because many ME/CFS patients report cognitive problems and neurological symptoms, suggesting the nervous system itself may be affected.
This pilot study does not prove that low IL-10 causes ME/CFS or explain what role this reduction plays in the disease. The small sample size (18 patients, 5 controls) limits confidence in the findings, and this single significant result among 27 tests raises the possibility of chance findings. Correlation between IL-10 levels and disease severity or symptoms was not examined.
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
Peterson, D, Brenu, E W, Gottschalk, G, Ramos, S, Nguyen, T, Staines, D, et al. (2015). Cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluids of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.. Mediators of inflammation. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/929720
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-peterson-2015-cytokines-cerebrospinal,
author = {Peterson, D and Brenu, E W and Gottschalk, G and Ramos, S and Nguyen, T and Staines, D and Marshall-Gradisnik, S},
title = {Cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluids of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Mediators of inflammation},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1155/2015/929720},
note = {PubMed: 25834308},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peterson-2015-cytokines-cerebrospinal},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peterson-2015-cytokines-cerebrospinal
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