Jarred W. Younger, Linda Yan, Sean Mackey · Journal of Neuroinflammation · 2014 · DOI
Using thermography and brain temperature imaging at Stanford, this study found evidence consistent with neuroinflammation — specifically elevated brain temperature — in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls. Brain regions associated with pain and fatigue showed the strongest signal.
This study provided early evidence for neuroinflammation as a biological feature of ME/CFS, independent of psychiatric explanations. It supported PET imaging studies finding similar signals in brain regions linked to fatigue.
Brain temperature is an indirect measure of neuroinflammation. This small study cannot confirm the presence, extent, or clinical significance of brain inflammation in 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
Jarred W. Younger, Linda Yan, & Sean Mackey (2014). The neuroinflammatory hypothesis of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: an update. Journal of Neuroinflammation. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-014-0111-6
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-younger-2014-neuroinflammation-pet,
author = {Jarred W. Younger and Linda Yan and Sean Mackey},
title = {The neuroinflammatory hypothesis of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: an update},
journal = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1186/s12974-014-0111-6},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/younger-2014-neuroinflammation-pet},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/younger-2014-neuroinflammation-pet
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