Theoharides, Theoharis C, Stewart, Julia M, Hatziagelaki, Erifili et al. · Frontiers in neuroscience · 2015 · DOI
This review discusses 'brain fog'—trouble thinking clearly, concentrating, and remembering—which affects people with ME/CFS and other conditions. Researchers suggest brain fog may be caused by inflammation and immune cells releasing harmful chemicals in the brain. A natural compound called luteolin, which has anti-inflammatory properties, shows promise in early studies for reducing brain fog symptoms.
Brain fog is a cardinal symptom in ME/CFS, and understanding its inflammatory mechanisms could identify new treatment targets. If mast cell activation and microglia dysfunction are confirmed as causal in ME/CFS, natural anti-inflammatory compounds like luteolin could offer a relatively safe therapeutic avenue worth rigorous testing.
This review does not establish that luteolin is an effective treatment for ME/CFS, as no ME/CFS-specific trial data are presented. It does not prove causation between mast cell activation and brain fog, only proposes a mechanistic hypothesis. The preliminary results cited in autism and mastocytosis cannot be directly extrapolated to ME/CFS without dedicated clinical trials.
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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Primary citation
Theoharides, Theoharis C, Stewart, Julia M, Hatziagelaki, Erifili, & Kolaitis, Gerasimos (2015). Brain "fog," inflammation and obesity: key aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders improved by luteolin.. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2015.00225
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-theoharides-2015-brain-fog,
author = {Theoharides, Theoharis C and Stewart, Julia M and Hatziagelaki, Erifili and Kolaitis, Gerasimos},
title = {Brain "fog," inflammation and obesity: key aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders improved by luteolin.},
journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2015.00225},
note = {PubMed: 26190965},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/theoharides-2015-brain-fog},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/theoharides-2015-brain-fog
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