Roberts, L, Byrne, E · Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 1994 · DOI
Researchers used a specialized test called single fibre EMG to examine how well the muscles and nerves work together in people with ME/CFS. They tested 30 patients with ME/CFS and compared them to 30 healthy controls. While they found some minor differences, the differences were so small that the researchers concluded problems with nerve-muscle communication are unlikely to be a main cause of ME/CFS.
Understanding whether nerve-muscle problems contribute to ME/CFS muscle weakness and fatigue is fundamental to identifying disease mechanisms. This study's negative findings help redirect research focus toward other potential causes, such as metabolic or immune dysfunction, rather than primary neuromuscular disease.
This study does not exclude all neuromuscular involvement in ME/CFS—only that jitter abnormalities are not a consistent feature. The small sample size and focus on a single muscle means findings may not generalize to all muscles or to all ME/CFS patients. It also does not explain what actually causes the fatigue and weakness experienced by patients.
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
Roberts, L & Byrne, E (1994). Single fibre EMG studies in chronic fatigue syndrome: a reappraisal.. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.57.3.375
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-roberts-1994-single-fibre,
author = {Roberts, L and Byrne, E},
title = {Single fibre EMG studies in chronic fatigue syndrome: a reappraisal.},
journal = {Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry},
year = {1994},
doi = {10.1136/jnnp.57.3.375},
note = {PubMed: 8158191},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/roberts-1994-single-fibre},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/roberts-1994-single-fibre
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