Rowlandson, P H, Stephens, J A · Developmental medicine and child neurology · 1985 · DOI
Researchers tested a simple reflex response in the skin and muscles of children with various nervous system conditions, including ME/CFS. By measuring how muscles respond to light touch stimulation on the skin, they found that different neurological conditions produced different patterns of responses. The study suggests this type of testing might be a useful tool to help doctors diagnose difficult neurological problems in children.
This early study directly examined reflex responses in children with ME/CFS, providing objective neurophysiological data that may help establish biomarkers for the condition. Understanding abnormal reflex patterns in ME/CFS could support the recognition of ME/CFS as a neurological disorder and potentially aid in clinical diagnosis.
This study does not establish the cause of abnormal reflex responses in ME/CFS or prove they are specific to this condition alone. The small sample size and descriptive methodology mean the findings cannot be generalized to all ME/CFS patients, and correlation with symptoms was not established. This study does not compare ME/CFS directly with healthy controls or establish whether reflex abnormalities are primary features of ME/CFS pathology.
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
Rowlandson, P H & Stephens, J A (1985). Cutaneous reflex responses recorded in children with various neurological disorders.. Developmental medicine and child neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.1985.tb04566.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rowlandson-1985-cutaneous-reflex,
author = {Rowlandson, P H and Stephens, J A},
title = {Cutaneous reflex responses recorded in children with various neurological disorders.},
journal = {Developmental medicine and child neurology},
year = {1985},
doi = {10.1111/j.1469-8749.1985.tb04566.x},
note = {PubMed: 2993087},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rowlandson-1985-cutaneous-reflex},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rowlandson-1985-cutaneous-reflex
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