Sulheim, Dag, Fagermoen, Even, Sivertsen, Øyvind Stople et al. · Archives of disease in childhood · 2015 · DOI
This study compared thinking and memory skills in teenagers with chronic fatigue to healthy teenagers. Teenagers with chronic fatigue performed worse on tests of processing speed (how fast they could think), working memory (holding information in mind), and learning new information. These differences were not explained by depression, anxiety, or sleep problems alone.
Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of ME/CFS that substantially impacts school performance and quality of life in adolescents, yet remains underrecognized clinically. This study provides objective neurocognitive evidence that such deficits are measurable and clinically relevant, supporting the need for formal cognitive assessment and accommodations in educational and clinical settings for affected youth.
This cross-sectional design cannot establish whether cognitive impairment is a cause or consequence of chronic fatigue, or whether it is specific to ME/CFS versus other conditions causing chronic fatigue. The study does not clarify the underlying mechanisms (neuroinflammation, metabolic dysfunction, etc.) driving cognitive dysfunction. Findings may not generalize beyond Scandinavian adolescent populations.
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
Sulheim, Dag, Fagermoen, Even, Sivertsen, Øyvind Stople, Winger, Anette, Wyller, Vegard Bruun, & Øie, Merete Glenne (2015). Cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with chronic fatigue: a cross-sectional study.. Archives of disease in childhood. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2014-306764
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sulheim-2015-cognitive-dysfunction,
author = {Sulheim, Dag and Fagermoen, Even and Sivertsen, Øyvind Stople and Winger, Anette and Wyller, Vegard Bruun and Øie, Merete Glenne},
title = {Cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with chronic fatigue: a cross-sectional study.},
journal = {Archives of disease in childhood},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1136/archdischild-2014-306764},
note = {PubMed: 25791841},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sulheim-2015-cognitive-dysfunction},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sulheim-2015-cognitive-dysfunction
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