Quan, N, Herkenham, M · Histology and histopathology · 2002 · DOI
This review examines how immune molecules called cytokines communicate with the brain and affect how it works. Scientists have found that cytokines can trigger fatigue, changes in mood and behavior, and problems with the nervous system. The authors suggest that cytokines may play a role in several brain-related conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome.
This review is significant for ME/CFS research because it explicitly identifies chronic fatigue syndrome as a potential cytokine-mediated neurological condition and frames the mechanistic questions central to understanding ME/CFS pathophysiology. For patients, it highlights growing scientific recognition that immune-brain communication may underlie fatigue and neurological symptoms. The breadth of evidence presented supports investigating cytokine dysregulation as a potential therapeutic target in ME/CFS.
This review does not prove that cytokines cause ME/CFS, nor does it establish the specific cytokine profile or mechanisms unique to ME/CFS pathology. As a narrative review of existing literature, it cannot determine causation versus correlation, and it does not provide new empirical data specific to ME/CFS patients. The authors acknowledge substantial obstacles remain in understanding cytokine-CNS interactions, indicating the field was still in early mechanistic stages.
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 →
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