E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional
Brain and muscle chemistry in myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID: a 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
Godlewska, Beata R, Sylvester, Amy L, Emir, Uzay E et al.·Molecular psychiatry·2025
Researchers used advanced brain scans to look at chemical differences in the brains and muscles of people with ME/CFS, long COVID, and healthy people. They found that people with ME/CFS had higher levels of lactate (a chemical related to energy use) in specific brain areas, suggesting their brains may be working harder to produce energy. People with long COVID showed different changes - lower levels of a chemical called choline in the brain. These findings suggest that ME/CFS and long COVID may have different underlying causes, even though they produce similar symptoms.
Post-Exertional Malaise