VanElzakker, Michael B, Brumfield, Sydney A, Lara Mejia, Paula S · Frontiers in neurology · 2018 · DOI
This review examines different methods scientists use to look for signs of brain inflammation in ME/CFS, including specialized brain scans and blood tests. The authors found that while these techniques show promise, many studies have used inconsistent methods that make it hard to compare results across different research teams. They argue that scientists need better techniques and more careful standardization if we want to find reliable biological markers that could help diagnose ME/CFS.
This study is important because it provides a roadmap for future ME/CFS research by identifying which research methods are most promising and which methodological problems need to be fixed. By clarifying these issues, the authors help the research community avoid wasting time and resources on approaches unlikely to yield reliable results, bringing us closer to discovering objective biomarkers that could enable proper diagnosis.
This review does not prove that neuroinflammation causes ME/CFS symptoms, nor does it provide new patient data or test results. It is a critical analysis of existing methods rather than original research, so it cannot establish which imaging or blood-test approach will ultimately succeed at diagnosing ME/CFS in clinical practice.
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
VanElzakker, Michael B, Brumfield, Sydney A, & Lara Mejia, Paula S (2018). Neuroinflammation and Cytokines in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Critical Review of Research Methods.. Frontiers in neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.01033
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-vanelzakker-2018-neuroinflammation-cytokines,
author = {VanElzakker, Michael B and Brumfield, Sydney A and Lara Mejia, Paula S},
title = {Neuroinflammation and Cytokines in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Critical Review of Research Methods.},
journal = {Frontiers in neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2018.01033},
note = {PubMed: 30687207},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vanelzakker-2018-neuroinflammation-cytokines},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vanelzakker-2018-neuroinflammation-cytokines
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