ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

121–140 of 397 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Brain fog of post-COVID-19 condition and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, same medical disorder?

Azcue, N, Gómez-Esteban, J C, Acera, M et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2022

This study compared brain fog and fatigue symptoms in people with ME/CFS and those recovering from COVID-19 to see if they might be the same condition triggered by different causes. Both groups showed similar problems with fatigue, sleep, and muscle pain, but people with ME/CFS had more severe cognitive difficulties like trouble concentrating and processing information. Interestingly, loss of smell that lasted a long time in COVID-19 patients appeared connected to their cognitive problems.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Bright, but allergic and neurotic? A critical investigation of the "overexcitable genius" hypothesis.

Fries, Jonathan, Baudson, Tanja Gabriele, Kovacs, Kristof et al.·Frontiers in psychology·2022

This study looked at whether highly intelligent people (members of MENSA) experience more health problems than the general population. Researchers surveyed over 600 high-IQ individuals across five European countries and found that chronic fatigue syndrome was about 5.7 times more common in this group compared to the general public. Other conditions like depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders were also significantly more common, but surprisingly, allergies and autoimmune diseases were not.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: relationship of central nervous system manifestations with physical disability and systemic inflammation.

Busatto, Geraldo F, de Araujo, Adriana Ladeira, Castaldelli-Maia, João Mauricio et al.·Psychological medicine·2022

Researchers studied 749 people who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and assessed them 6-11 months later. They found that 30 different symptoms—including fatigue, brain fog, depression, and anxiety—tend to occur together as part of one underlying condition. People with more severe symptoms also showed signs of ongoing inflammation in their blood and had greater physical disability, suggesting a real biological basis for their illness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Alteration of Cortical Volume and Thickness in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Thapaliya, Kiran, Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya, Staines, Donald et al.·Frontiers in neuroscience·2022

Researchers used brain imaging to compare the brains of people with ME/CFS to healthy people. They found that people with ME/CFS had some areas of the brain that were thinner and other areas that were larger, particularly in regions involved in thinking and emotion. These brain differences were also connected to how severe symptoms like fatigue, sleep problems, and cognitive difficulties were in each person.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Characteristics of Sleep Disturbance in Patients with Long COVID: A Retrospective Observational Study in Japan.

Sunada, Naruhiko, Nakano, Yasuhiro, Otsuka, Yuki et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2022

This study looked at sleep problems in 363 long COVID patients in Japan and found that about 16.5% had significant sleep disturbance. People infected during the Omicron wave were twice as likely to have sleep problems compared to those infected during the Delta wave. Patients with sleep disturbance also reported more fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and anxiety, and had abnormal stress hormone levels suggesting their bodies were under persistent stress.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The Fatigue-Related Symptoms Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2: A Preliminary Comparative Study.

Thomas, Marie·International journal of environmental research and public health·2022

This study compared fatigue and related symptoms in 26 people experiencing Long COVID with two groups: people without fatigue and people with ME/CFS. The Long COVID group reported severe fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating—similar to what people with ME/CFS experience. The findings suggest Long COVID and ME/CFS may share some common features.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Subjective and objective cognitive function in adolescent with chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Øie, Merete Glenne, Rødø, Astrid Sofie Buer, Bølgen, Maria Sletten et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2022

This study followed 195 teenagers who had Epstein-Barr virus infection for six months to see if they developed persistent fatigue and cognitive problems. While teenagers with ongoing fatigue reported much more trouble with thinking and memory than healthy teenagers, standard cognitive tests showed no actual differences in their thinking abilities. This suggests that cognitive difficulties in ME/CFS may feel very real to patients but are not always detectable by traditional testing methods.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Evolving phenotypes of non-hospitalized patients that indicate long COVID.

Estiri, Hossein, Strasser, Zachary H, Brat, Gabriel A et al.·BMC medicine·2021

This study looked at medical records from over 96,000 people to identify which health problems are more common in people who had COVID-19 compared to those who didn't. Researchers found that certain symptoms and conditions—including loss of taste and smell, hair loss, chest pain, extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, pneumonia, and new-onset diabetes—appear more frequently in COVID-19 survivors months after infection. Younger people under 65 developed more of these long-term problems than older adults.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome: A survey of elderly female survivors in Egypt.

Aly, Menna A E G, Saber, Heba G·International journal of clinical practice·2021

This study looked at 115 elderly women in Egypt who had recovered from COVID-19 to see if their lingering symptoms might lead to chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Most women reported problems like fatigue, muscle pain, and sleep trouble after COVID, and the study found that stress, sadness, and poor sleep were most strongly linked to developing CFS-like symptoms. Only one person in the study actually met full criteria for probable CFS, but the researchers suggest doctors should watch for these warning signs in long COVID patients.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Attentional Processing and Interpretative Bias in Functional Neurological Disorder.

Keynejad, Roxanne C, Fenby, Edward, Pick, Susannah et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2020

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS and a related condition called functional neurological disorder (FND) process information and interpret bodily sensations differently than healthy people. Researchers gave participants three types of tests: one measuring whether they automatically notice illness-related information, another testing how well they can control their attention, and a third examining whether they interpret unclear bodily sensations as signs of illness. The findings suggest that both ME/CFS and FND involve similar difficulties with attention control and a tendency to interpret bodily sensations as illness-related.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Do adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depressive symptoms think differently to those who do not have co-morbid psychopathology?

Loades, Maria E, Stallard, Paul, Morris, Richard et al.·Journal of affective disorders·2020

This study looked at how adolescents with ME/CFS think about their symptoms, comparing those who also have anxiety or depression with those who don't. Teenagers with both ME/CFS and anxiety/depression were more likely to have negative thoughts in general and worry more about their fatigue causing damage or embarrassment. The thinking patterns of both groups together explained about 43% of why some teens developed anxiety or depression alongside their ME/CFS.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Self-reported cognitive impairment in individuals with Primary Immunodeficiency Disease.

Sowers, Kerri L, Gayda-Chelder, Christine A, Galantino, Mary Lou·Brain, behavior, & immunity - health·2020

This study looked at whether people with Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PID)—a condition where the immune system doesn't work properly—experience brain fog or memory problems. Researchers asked 292 people with PID to fill out surveys about their memory, mood, and anxiety. They found that people with PID reported significantly more memory problems and higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to people without these conditions.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Associations of occupational stress, workplace violence, and organizational support on chronic fatigue syndrome among nurses.

Li, Mengyao, Shu, Qianyi, Huang, Hao et al.·Journal of advanced nursing·2020

This study examined whether workplace stress, violence, and lack of organizational support increase the risk of ME/CFS in nurses. Researchers surveyed 1,080 Chinese nurses and found that those experiencing high levels of overcommitment, workplace violence, and little support from their employers were significantly more likely to have ME/CFS. The findings suggest that improving workplace safety, support, and reducing internal stress could help prevent ME/CFS in this high-risk group.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Feedback on underperformance in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The impact on subsequent neuropsychological test performance.

Roor, Jeroen J, Knoop, Hans, Dandachi-FitzGerald, Brechje et al.·Applied neuropsychology. Adult·2020

This study looked at whether telling ME/CFS patients about their poor performance on memory tests could help them do better on brain function tests afterward. Researchers gave one group of patients feedback about underperformance while another group got no feedback. The group that received feedback showed meaningful improvement in processing speed (how quickly the brain handles information), suggesting that simple feedback might help doctors get a more accurate picture of a patient's actual cognitive abilities.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Health-related quality of life in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an Australian cross-sectional study.

Eaton-Fitch, N, Johnston, S C, Zalewski, P et al.·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2020

This Australian study of 480 people with ME/CFS found that the condition severely impacts quality of life across all major areas—physical functioning, emotional well-being, pain, and energy levels. People with ME/CFS scored much lower on quality of life measures compared to the general population, with the lowest scores for physical activities and fatigue. The study identified specific symptoms like cognitive difficulties, sleep problems, and cardiovascular issues that are most strongly linked to reduced quality of life.

Pain and SensitizationSleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Resting-state functional connectivity, cognition, and fatigue in response to cognitive exertion: a novel study in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Josev, Elisha K, Malpas, Charles B, Seal, Marc L et al.·Brain imaging and behavior·2020

Researchers compared how the brains of teenagers with ME/CFS and healthy teenagers responded to a mentally demanding task using brain imaging. Both groups showed similar changes in brain activity and felt more tired after the mental effort. However, teenagers with ME/CFS started out more fatigued, performed worse on thinking tasks overall, and may have less energy available to draw from when their brain works hard.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

The role of low-grade inflammation in ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) - associations with symptoms.

Jonsjö, Martin A, Olsson, Gunnar L, Wicksell, Rikard K et al.·Psychoneuroendocrinology·2020

This study looked at whether low-level inflammation in the blood is connected to ME/CFS symptoms like exhaustion after activity, brain fog, muscle pain, and flu-like illness. Researchers tested 53 ME/CFS patients for various inflammatory markers and found that several of these markers were associated with cognitive problems and pain, though they were surprisingly less connected to post-exertional fatigue. Interestingly, the connection between inflammation and symptoms was different for men and women in some cases.

BiomarkersImmune SystemCognitive ImpairmentPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Impairments in cognitive performance in chronic fatigue syndrome are common, not related to co-morbid depression but do associate with autonomic dysfunction.

Robinson, Lucy J, Gallagher, Peter, Watson, Stuart et al.·PloS one·2019

This study found that people with ME/CFS often experience slowing in thinking speed and processing information, particularly in tasks requiring quick reactions. Importantly, these cognitive difficulties are not caused by depression—even patients without depression showed the same thinking problems. The researchers discovered that problems with heart rate regulation (how the body's autonomic nervous system works) were linked to these cognitive difficulties.

Autonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cognitive and behavioral coping in people with Chronic fatigue syndrome: An exploratory study searching for intervention targets for depressive symptoms.

Kraaij, Vivian, Bik, Janneke, Garnefski, Nadia·Journal of health psychology·2019

This study looked at how 30 people with ME/CFS cope with depression by using different thinking and behavior strategies. The researchers found that the way people think about and reframe their problems has a bigger impact on depression than what they do. Focusing on positive aspects, looking at problems in a different light, and avoiding catastrophizing (imagining the worst) seemed to help the most.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearLongitudinal

The Impact of a Structured Exercise Programme upon Cognitive Function in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

Zalewski, Paweł, Kujawski, Sławomir, Tudorowska, Malwina et al.·Brain sciences·2019

This study tested whether a 16-week structured exercise program could help improve 'brain fog' and thinking problems that many people with ME/CFS experience. Of 53 patients who started the program, 34 completed it. Tests showed that those who finished the program had modest improvements in attention and processing speed, particularly in how quickly and accurately they could respond to visual tasks.

Cognitive Impairment

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Evidence browser

Brain fog of post-COVID-19 condition and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, same medical disorder?

Bright, but allergic and neurotic? A critical investigation of the "overexcitable genius" hypothesis.

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: relationship of central nervous system manifestations with physical disability and systemic inflammation.

Alteration of Cortical Volume and Thickness in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Characteristics of Sleep Disturbance in Patients with Long COVID: A Retrospective Observational Study in Japan.

The Fatigue-Related Symptoms Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2: A Preliminary Comparative Study.

Subjective and objective cognitive function in adolescent with chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Evolving phenotypes of non-hospitalized patients that indicate long COVID.

Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome: A survey of elderly female survivors in Egypt.

Attentional Processing and Interpretative Bias in Functional Neurological Disorder.

Do adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depressive symptoms think differently to those who do not have co-morbid psychopathology?

Self-reported cognitive impairment in individuals with Primary Immunodeficiency Disease.

Associations of occupational stress, workplace violence, and organizational support on chronic fatigue syndrome among nurses.

Feedback on underperformance in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The impact on subsequent neuropsychological test performance.

Health-related quality of life in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an Australian cross-sectional study.

Resting-state functional connectivity, cognition, and fatigue in response to cognitive exertion: a novel study in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The role of low-grade inflammation in ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) - associations with symptoms.

Impairments in cognitive performance in chronic fatigue syndrome are common, not related to co-morbid depression but do associate with autonomic dysfunction.

Cognitive and behavioral coping in people with Chronic fatigue syndrome: An exploratory study searching for intervention targets for depressive symptoms.

The Impact of a Structured Exercise Programme upon Cognitive Function in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

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