Plioplys, A V, Plioplys, S · Neuropsychobiology · 1995 · DOI
This study examined muscle tissue from CFS patients under a powerful microscope to look for damage to mitochondria (the energy-producing structures in cells). Researchers compared 15 CFS patients with 15 healthy people and found no visible structural differences in the mitochondria between the two groups, even though CFS causes severe fatigue and weakness.
This study addresses a fundamental question about the biological basis of CFS by rigorously testing whether visible mitochondrial damage exists in muscle tissue. Understanding whether mitochondrial abnormalities are structural or functional helps guide future research toward appropriate mechanistic targets and potential therapeutic approaches for this disabling condition.
This study does not prove that mitochondrial dysfunction does not occur in CFS—only that visible structural abnormalities are not detectable by electron microscopy. It does not exclude functional mitochondrial problems at the biochemical level, nor does it rule out mitochondrial abnormalities in other tissues or disease subtypes.
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
Plioplys, A V & Plioplys, S (1995). Electron-microscopic investigation of muscle mitochondria in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Neuropsychobiology. https://doi.org/10.1159/000119233
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-plioplys-1995-electron-microscopic,
author = {Plioplys, A V and Plioplys, S},
title = {Electron-microscopic investigation of muscle mitochondria in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Neuropsychobiology},
year = {1995},
doi = {10.1159/000119233},
note = {PubMed: 8587699},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/plioplys-1995-electron-microscopic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/plioplys-1995-electron-microscopic
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