Yu, Qiang, Kothe, Kiana, Kwiatek, Richard A et al. · Human brain mapping · 2026 · DOI
This study used advanced brain imaging to look for signs of inflammation in the white matter (the brain's communication cables) of ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. Researchers found several differences in how water moves through brain tissue in ME/CFS patients, suggesting there may be swelling, immune cell activity, and changes to nerve fibers. These imaging markers could potentially help doctors identify and track ME/CFS in the future.
This research provides the first in vivo neurobiological evidence that ME/CFS involves measurable white matter inflammation, potentially validating the neuroinflammatory hypothesis central to ME/CFS pathophysiology. If NII-derived metrics are validated in larger studies, they could serve as objective diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers, addressing a critical unmet need in ME/CFS diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
This study does not prove that white matter inflammation causes ME/CFS symptoms—only that differences exist in cross-sectional comparison. It does not establish whether these neuroinflammatory changes are primary drivers or secondary consequences of the disease. The findings require replication in independent cohorts and longitudinal follow-up to confirm causality and clinical utility.
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
Yu, Qiang, Kothe, Kiana, Kwiatek, Richard A, Del Fante, Peter, Bonner, Anya, Calhoun, Vince D, et al. (2026). Evidence of White Matter Neuroinflammation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Diffusion-Based Neuroinflammation Imaging Study.. Human brain mapping. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70505
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-yu-2026-evidence-white,
author = {Yu, Qiang and Kothe, Kiana and Kwiatek, Richard A and Del Fante, Peter and Bonner, Anya and Calhoun, Vince D and Shan, Zack Y},
title = {Evidence of White Matter Neuroinflammation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Diffusion-Based Neuroinflammation Imaging Study.},
journal = {Human brain mapping},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1002/hbm.70505},
note = {PubMed: 41834684},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yu-2026-evidence-white},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yu-2026-evidence-white
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