Watanabe, Yasuyoshi, Kuratsune, Hirohiko · Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo · 2018 · DOI
This review summarizes research on ME/CFS conducted in Japan since the disease was first identified there in 1990. Scientists have been searching for objective biological markers to help diagnose ME/CFS and understand what causes it. Recent brain imaging studies found evidence of immune cell activation in the brains of ME/CFS patients, which may be linked to the severity of their symptoms.
This work provides important historical context and consolidates evidence suggesting brain inflammation plays a role in ME/CFS pathophysiology. The demonstration of microglial activation via PET imaging offers a potential objective biomarker that could eventually improve diagnosis and guide treatment development for this severely disabling illness.
This review does not establish causation—microglial activation may be a consequence of ME/CFS rather than a primary cause. The study does not prove that neuroinflammation is the sole mechanism underlying ME/CFS, nor does it demonstrate that targeting neuroinflammation will produce effective treatments. As a narrative review synthesizing prior work, it does not present primary experimental evidence.
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
Watanabe, Yasuyoshi & Kuratsune, Hirohiko (2018). [History of Researches on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome].. Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo. https://doi.org/10.11477/mf.1416200943
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-watanabe-2018-history-researches,
author = {Watanabe, Yasuyoshi and Kuratsune, Hirohiko},
title = {[History of Researches on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome].},
journal = {Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.11477/mf.1416200943},
note = {PubMed: 29348369},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/watanabe-2018-history-researches},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/watanabe-2018-history-researches
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