Sharpe, M, Clements, A, Hawton, K et al. · Journal of affective disorders · 1996 · DOI
Researchers gave a medication called buspirone to people with ME/CFS and healthy volunteers to see how their bodies would respond. People with ME/CFS had higher levels of a hormone called prolactin and experienced more nausea than the healthy group. This suggests that the brains of people with ME/CFS may process certain chemicals differently, particularly those involved in mood and nerve signaling.
This study provides biological evidence that ME/CFS involves measurable differences in neuroendocrine function, specifically in how the brain's serotonin and dopamine systems respond to stimulation. Understanding these abnormalities could help explain some ME/CFS symptoms and guide development of targeted treatments.
This study does not prove that altered prolactin response causes ME/CFS symptoms or is a primary driver of the illness. It demonstrates an association in a small group of men only and does not establish whether this response is specific to ME/CFS or occurs in other conditions. The findings do not clarify whether dopamine dysfunction is the underlying cause or a secondary consequence of ME/CFS.
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
Sharpe, M, Clements, A, Hawton, K, Young, A H, Sargent, P, & Cowen, P J (1996). Increased prolactin response to buspirone in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of affective disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(96)00075-4
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sharpe-1996-increased-prolactin,
author = {Sharpe, M and Clements, A and Hawton, K and Young, A H and Sargent, P and Cowen, P J},
title = {Increased prolactin response to buspirone in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of affective disorders},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1016/0165-0327(96)00075-4},
note = {PubMed: 8938208},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sharpe-1996-increased-prolactin},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sharpe-1996-increased-prolactin
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