ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2423 studies

1141–1160 of 2,423 studies

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Caught in the thickness of brain fog: exploring the cognitive symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Ocon, Anthony J·Frontiers in physiology·2013

ME/CFS causes cognitive difficulties that patients often describe as "brain fog"—a feeling of foggy thinking, slow mental processing, and trouble concentrating. This review suggests brain fog may result from reduced blood flow to the brain combined with the physical stress of standing (which worsens symptoms in many patients), plus the extra mental effort required to complete tasks. Understanding these overlapping factors could help explain why cognitive symptoms feel so exhausting.

Autonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Conditions, controversies and contradictions between Central Sensitivity Syndrome and Depressive Disorders].

Maresca, Tomás, Covini, Elvira, Mato, Andrea Márquez López·Vertex (Buenos Aires, Argentina)·2013

This review article explains Central Sensitivity Syndrome (CSS), a condition where the nervous system becomes overly sensitive to pain and other stimuli, and how it relates to ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. The authors describe how CSS differs from depression, even though people with CSS often experience depression as well, by comparing how the body's stress hormones, sleep patterns, and immune systems function differently in each condition.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells in the duodenum of individuals diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis are uniquely immunoreactive to antibodies to human endogenous retroviral proteins.

De Meirleir, Kenny L, Khaiboullina, Svetlana F, Frémont, Marc et al.·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2013

Researchers found that a specific type of immune cell in the gut (called plasmacytoid dendritic cells) reacts to remnants of ancient viral DNA in 8 out of 12 ME/CFS patients, but not in healthy controls. These cells appear to be displaying signs of viral proteins on their surface, which suggests the gut may be involved in triggering immune problems seen in ME/CFS.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Neurocardiogenic syncope and associated conditions: insight into autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Kossaify, Antoine, Kallab, Kamal·Turk Kardiyoloji Dernegi arsivi : Turk Kardiyoloji Derneginin yayin organidir·2013

This study examines why people faint or feel faint due to problems with their autonomic nervous system—the part of your nervous system that controls heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing automatically. The authors review how fainting episodes are connected to several conditions that ME/CFS patients often experience, including migraines, dizziness upon standing, rapid heartbeat with position changes, and chronic fatigue syndrome. They discuss how autonomic dysfunction may explain these related conditions.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Molecular mechanisms underpinning laser printer and photocopier induced symptoms, including chronic fatigue syndrome and respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness: pharmacological treatment with cinnamon and hydrogen.

Lucas, Kurt, Maes, Michael·Neuro endocrinology letters·2013

This review examines how emissions from laser printers and photocopiers might trigger symptoms in sensitive people, including fatigue, breathing problems, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The study suggests that particles and chemicals released during printing can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. The authors propose that two substances—cinnamon and hydrogen—might help reduce these symptoms by reducing inflammation.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

The effects of exercise on dynamic sleep morphology in healthy controls and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Kishi, Akifumi, Togo, Fumiharu, Cook, Dane B et al.·Physiological reports·2013

This study looked at how sleep changes after exercise in healthy people versus those with ME/CFS. Researchers found that while exercise helped healthy people sleep more deeply and continuously, people with ME/CFS showed different sleep patterns—specifically more disruptions when moving from REM sleep (dream sleep) back to wakefulness. Importantly, these REM sleep disruptions in ME/CFS patients were linked to increased fatigue, pain, and sleepiness the next day.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Norepinephrine and epinephrine responses to physiological and pharmacological stimulation in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Strahler, Jana, Fischer, Susanne, Nater, Urs M et al.·Biological psychology·2013

This study looked at how the body's stress hormones (norepinephrine and epinephrine) respond in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. Researchers tested 21 ME/CFS patients and 20 controls using exercise and a hormone-stimulation test, measuring stress hormones before and after. ME/CFS patients showed weaker hormone responses to exercise, particularly lower baseline levels and blunted epinephrine release, which could help explain why physical activity feels so exhausting.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Looking for idiopathic intracranial hypertension in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Higgins, Nicholas, Pickard, John, Lever, Andrew·Journal of observational pain medicine·2013

This study looked at whether some ME/CFS patients with severe headaches might actually have a separate condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)—increased fluid pressure around the brain. Researchers tested 20 ME/CFS patients with prominent headaches and found that 8 of them had elevated pressure levels, suggesting they had undiagnosed IIH. This raises the possibility that some people diagnosed with ME/CFS might benefit from testing and treatment for this other condition.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Self-regulatory fatigue in chronic multisymptom illnesses: scale development, fatigue, and self-control.

Nes, Lise Solberg, Ehlers, Shawna L, Whipple, Mary O et al.·Journal of pain research·2013

This study created a new questionnaire to measure a specific type of mental tiredness called self-regulatory fatigue—the exhaustion that comes from having to constantly manage your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Researchers gave this 18-question test to nearly 300 people with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, along with standard fatigue and self-control tests. They found that this mental tiredness is related to, but distinct from, physical fatigue—suggesting it's a separate problem worth measuring and understanding.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Chronic Lyme; diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Ljøstad, U, Mygland, Å·Acta neurologica Scandinavica. Supplementum·2013

This review discusses chronic Lyme disease, a rare condition caused by ongoing infection with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The main symptoms include progressive brain and spinal cord inflammation, skin changes, nerve damage, and joint pain. The authors explain how doctors can diagnose chronic Lyme using specific blood tests and cerebrospinal fluid tests, and recommend standard antibiotic treatment rather than experimental or prolonged approaches.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryPEM not required

[Neurasthenia in Norway 1880-1920].

Lillestøl, Kristine, Bondevik, Hilde·Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke·2013

This study looked at historical medical records from Norway between 1880 and 1920 to understand how doctors understood and treated a condition called neurasthenia, which many believe was similar to today's ME/CFS. Doctors at that time described it as a weakness of the nervous system with exhaustion as the main symptom, though they couldn't find any physical cause. Treatment focused on rest and electrical therapy to strengthen the nerves.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Thiamine and fatigue in inflammatory bowel diseases: an open-label pilot study.

Costantini, Antonio, Pala, Maria Immacolata·Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)·2013

This small study tested whether high-dose vitamin B1 (thiamine) could help fatigue in people with inflammatory bowel disease. Twelve patients took large amounts of thiamine for 20 days, and ten of them reported their fatigue almost completely went away. The researchers suggest that fatigue in these patients may come from cells not absorbing thiamine properly, rather than from actual vitamin deficiency in the blood.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Neurocognitive impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mizuno, Kei, Watanabe, Yasuyoshi·Frontiers in physiology·2013

This study examined how ME/CFS affects thinking and attention skills in children and teenagers. Researchers found that young people with ME/CFS have difficulty with tasks that require switching between activities or paying attention to multiple things at once. The brain regions responsible for these skills are still developing during childhood, and severe fatigue may slow down or disrupt this normal development.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Clinical Practice: Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Werker, Charlotte L, Nijhof, Sanne L, van de Putte, Elise M·European journal of pediatrics·2013

This review explains how doctors diagnose ME/CFS in teenagers and describes what we know works to treat it. ME/CFS is a serious illness causing extreme fatigue that doesn't get better with rest, along with other symptoms like trouble thinking clearly, sore throat, and muscle pain. The good news is that a type of talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy helps about two-thirds of teenagers with ME/CFS feel better and stay better for years.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM not requiredRegistry-Resource

A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Brimmer, Dana J, Maloney, Elizabeth, Devlin, Rebecca et al.·BMC research notes·2013

This study tested whether doctors and patient groups could help identify people with ME/CFS for a patient registry (a database of medical information). Researchers in Georgia contacted healthcare providers and a local ME/CFS support group to refer patients for evaluation. Of 104 people who completed clinic visits, 36% had ME/CFS, 17% had fatigue that didn't quite meet ME/CFS criteria, and 47% had other medical or psychiatric conditions instead. This shows that many people with fatigue symptoms may have treatable conditions other than ME/CFS.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Irritable bowel syndrome and migraine: bystanders or partners?

Chang, Full-Young, Lu, Ching-Liang·Journal of neurogastroenterology and motility·2013

This editorial examines two common chronic pain conditions—irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and migraine—and explores whether they might be related. Both conditions are more common in women, significantly reduce quality of life, and often occur together in the same patients. The authors suggest these disorders may share underlying causes related to how the nervous system processes pain, rather than being completely separate diseases.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Exercise and sleep deprivation do not change cytokine expression levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nakamura, Toru, Schwander, Stephan, Donnelly, Robert et al.·Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI·2013

Researchers tested whether exercise and sleep loss could trigger increased inflammatory markers in the blood of ME/CFS patients, since many people report that physical activity and poor sleep make their symptoms worse. They found that neither exercise nor sleep deprivation caused the expected increases in inflammatory proteins in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. This suggests that immune activation from these stressors may not be the main reason symptoms worsen with exertion or sleep loss.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and encephalomyelitis disseminata/multiple sclerosis show remarkable levels of similarity in phenomenology and neuroimmune characteristics.

Morris, Gerwyn, Maes, Michael·BMC medicine·2013

This review compares ME/CFS with multiple sclerosis (MS), another recognized neurological disease, and found striking similarities between them. Both conditions cause severe fatigue that worsens with exercise, autonomic problems (like dizziness and heart rate issues), and involve similar patterns of immune system activation and mitochondrial dysfunction (problems with how cells produce energy). The study suggests ME/CFS should be recognized as a genuine neuroimmune illness, similar to MS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Immunostimulation in the treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Proal, Amy D, Albert, Paul J, Marshall, Trevor G et al.·Immunologic research·2013

This study suggests that ME/CFS may be caused by multiple germs (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) working together in the body, rather than a single pathogen. The researchers proposed that these microbes interfere with how our genes are expressed, and developed an immunostimulatory treatment that showed promise in improving both how patients feel and measurable health markers.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Lumbar puncture, chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a cross-sectional study.

Higgins, Nicholas, Pickard, John, Lever, Andrew·JRSM short reports·2013

This study looked at whether some people with ME/CFS might actually have a condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), which involves increased pressure around the brain and spinal cord. The researchers performed lumbar punctures (spinal taps) on ME/CFS patients with headaches and measured the fluid pressure around their spinal cord. They found that some patients improved after the procedure, suggesting a possible link between the two conditions.

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Caught in the thickness of brain fog: exploring the cognitive symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

[Conditions, controversies and contradictions between Central Sensitivity Syndrome and Depressive Disorders].

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells in the duodenum of individuals diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis are uniquely immunoreactive to antibodies to human endogenous retroviral proteins.

Neurocardiogenic syncope and associated conditions: insight into autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Molecular mechanisms underpinning laser printer and photocopier induced symptoms, including chronic fatigue syndrome and respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness: pharmacological treatment with cinnamon and hydrogen.

The effects of exercise on dynamic sleep morphology in healthy controls and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Norepinephrine and epinephrine responses to physiological and pharmacological stimulation in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Looking for idiopathic intracranial hypertension in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Self-regulatory fatigue in chronic multisymptom illnesses: scale development, fatigue, and self-control.

Chronic Lyme; diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

[Neurasthenia in Norway 1880-1920].

Thiamine and fatigue in inflammatory bowel diseases: an open-label pilot study.

Neurocognitive impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.

Clinical Practice: Chronic fatigue syndrome.

A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome and migraine: bystanders or partners?

Exercise and sleep deprivation do not change cytokine expression levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and encephalomyelitis disseminata/multiple sclerosis show remarkable levels of similarity in phenomenology and neuroimmune characteristics.

Immunostimulation in the treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Lumbar puncture, chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a cross-sectional study.

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