ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

201–220 of 270 studies

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Gulf War Illness Induced Sex-Specific Transcriptional Differences Under Stressful Conditions.

Frank, Joshua, Tehrani, Lily, Gamer, Jackson et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2025

Researchers studied how the immune system responds to physical stress in Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI), a condition similar to ME/CFS with fatigue, brain fog, and exhaustion. They found that men and women with GWI have different patterns of immune system activation during and after exercise, suggesting their bodies handle stress differently. These differences could help doctors develop better tests and treatments tailored to each person's sex.

BiomarkersImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredPreprintPreprint

Dissecting the genetic complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via deep learning-powered genome analysis.

Zhang, Sai, Jahanbani, Fereshteh, Chander, Varuna et al.·medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025

Researchers used advanced artificial intelligence to analyze the genes of ME/CFS patients and discovered 115 genes that may contribute to the disease. They found that people with ME/CFS have lower levels of these risk genes active in their immune cells and nervous system. This genetic analysis could eventually help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more accurately and identify new treatment targets.

BiomarkersImmune SystemCognitive ImpairmentPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of extracellular vesicle protein cargo in female myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome cases and sedentary controls in response to maximal exercise.

Giloteaux, Ludovic, Glass, Katherine A, Germain, Arnaud et al.·Journal of extracellular vesicles·2024

When people without ME/CFS exercise, their bodies release tiny particles called extracellular vesicles that help cells communicate and recover. This study found that in people with ME/CFS, these particles carry different proteins after exercise compared to healthy people, and these differences match how severe a person's symptoms are. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' bodies may have a distinct biological response to exercise that could explain why exertion makes their symptoms worse.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

Faghy, Professor Mark A, Ashton, Dr Ruth Em, McNelis, Mr Robin et al.·Current problems in cardiology·2024

This editorial discusses whether measuring blood lactate levels could help manage post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the debilitating fatigue that occurs after physical activity in ME/CFS and long-COVID patients. The authors suggest that blood lactate monitoring might help identify safe exercise limits and prevent PEM crashes. However, this is an opinion piece rather than a research study with new data.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of the Kynurenine Pathway, Cytokine Expression Pattern, and Proteomics Profile Link to Symptomology in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Kavyani, Bahar, Ahn, Seong Beom, Missailidis, Daniel et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2024

This study found that ME/CFS patients have imbalances in a particular chemical pathway in their body (the kynurenine pathway) that appears connected to inflammation and symptom severity. The researchers discovered that higher levels of one early chemical in this pathway correlated with worse symptoms, while lower levels of later chemicals in the pathway might affect how cells produce energy. Interestingly, they also found that five of the most significantly changed proteins in ME/CFS patients are involved in gut health, suggesting the gut microbiome may play an important role in the disease.

BiomarkersGut MicrobiomeEnergy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Machine learning algorithms for detection of visuomotor neural control differences in individuals with PASC and ME.

Ahuja, Harit, Badhwar, Smriti, Edgell, Heather et al.·Frontiers in human neuroscience·2024

Researchers developed a new method using a simple headband that reads brain activity (EEG) to help identify people with long COVID or ME/CFS. The study used artificial intelligence to analyze brain patterns, and when trained on computer-generated synthetic data, the system was able to correctly identify these conditions 93% of the time. This approach could eventually help doctors diagnose and monitor these conditions more quickly.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Immunometabolic changes and potential biomarkers in CFS peripheral immune cells revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Sun, Yujing, Zhang, Zhenhua, Qiao, Qincheng et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2024

Researchers used advanced cell analysis to examine immune cells from the blood of 4 ME/CFS patients and 4 healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients have an unusual mix of immune cells, with too many T cells but too few natural killer cells and other immune cells that normally fight infections. Some of their immune cells also show signs of overactivity while others seem weakened, and the researchers identified a potential blood test marker that could help diagnose ME/CFS.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Development of an expert system for the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yagin, Fatma Hilal, Shateri, Ahmadreza, Nasiri, Hamid et al.·PeerJ. Computer science·2024

Researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze blood samples from 32 women with ME/CFS and 19 healthy controls, examining 832 different substances in their blood. The AI model identified just 50 key substances that could distinguish ME/CFS patients from healthy people with 98.85% accuracy. The study found that ME/CFS patients had different levels of five specific metabolites in their blood, which could potentially be used as biomarkers for diagnosis.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Role of Tau protein in long COVID and potential therapeutic targets.

Marwaha, Bharat·Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology·2023

Long COVID causes ongoing fatigue, breathing problems, brain fog, and other symptoms that can last months or years. This review suggests that a protein called tau—which is known to damage the brain in other diseases—may also be involved in Long COVID. The authors propose that future research should look for tau damage in Long COVID patients and that treatments designed to stop tau buildup might help.

NeuroinflammationBiomarkers

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

An Explainable Artificial Intelligence Model Proposed for the Prediction of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Identification of Distinctive Metabolites.

Yagin, Fatma Hilal, Alkhateeb, Abedalrhman, Raza, Ali et al.·Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2023

Researchers used artificial intelligence and a type of blood analysis called metabolomics to find chemical markers that could help identify ME/CFS patients. They studied 26 people with ME/CFS and 26 healthy people, testing 768 different chemicals in their blood. The AI model identified four key chemicals (C-glycosyltryptophan, oleoylcholine, cortisone, and 3-hydroxydecanoate) that were different between the two groups and could help diagnose ME/CFS with high accuracy.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Detection of Elevated Level of Tetrahydrobiopterin in Serum Samples of ME/CFS Patients with Orthostatic Intolerance: A Pilot Study.

Gottschalk, Carl Gunnar, Whelan, Ryan, Peterson, Daniel et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2023

This study looked at a molecule called BH4 in the blood of ME/CFS patients, particularly those who experience dizziness when standing up. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients have higher levels of BH4 than healthy people, and this may be connected to oxidative stress (harmful chemical reactions in the body). This finding could help explain why some ME/CFS patients struggle with dizziness and blood flow problems.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Bayesian Statistics Improves Biological Interpretability of Metabolomics Data from Human Cohorts.

Brydges, Christopher, Che, Xiaoyu, Lipkin, Walter Ian et al.·Metabolites·2023

This study compared blood chemistry samples from three different groups of ME/CFS patients and healthy people to find differences in metabolites—small molecules in the blood. Instead of using the traditional statistical method, researchers used a newer approach called Bayesian statistics that allows them to combine results from multiple studies to find patterns that traditional methods missed. They discovered several important differences in blood metabolites between ME/CFS patients and healthy controls, including abnormal fat molecules and reduced levels of prostaglandin F2alpha.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredObservational

Plasma miR-195-5p predicts the severity of Covid-19 in hospitalized patients.

Moatar, Alexandra Ioana, Chis, Aimee Rodica, Romanescu, Mirabela et al.·Scientific reports·2023

Researchers studied a tiny molecule in the blood called miR-195 in COVID-19 patients to see if it could predict who would get sicker. They found that miR-195 levels measured in the first two days after hospital admission were very good at telling the difference between patients with mild and severe COVID-19. Interestingly, their analysis suggests this molecule may affect how heart cells produce energy, which could be relevant to long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

A case of post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome characterized by post-exertional malaise and low serum acylcarnitine level.

Jinushi, Ryuhei, Nishiguchi, Sho, Masuda, Sakue et al.·Clinical case reports·2023

This study describes a patient who developed ME/CFS after recovering from COVID-19. The researchers found that this patient had lower-than-normal levels of acylcarnitine, a substance the body uses to produce energy. The study reviews existing research on how COVID-19 can lead to ME/CFS, a condition that causes severe fatigue and symptoms that worsen after physical activity.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclear

Long-COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): Potential neurophysiological biomarkers for these enigmatic entities.

Versace, Viviana, Tankisi, Hatice·Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·2023

This editorial discusses potential nerve-based tests that might help identify and distinguish Long-COVID and ME/CFS—two conditions that share similar exhaustion and brain symptoms but are still poorly understood. The authors review existing neurophysiological tools (tests that measure nerve and muscle function) that could potentially serve as objective biomarkers to help doctors diagnose these conditions more reliably. They highlight the need for further research to validate these tests and better understand what's happening in patients' nervous systems.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles.

González-Cebrián, Alba, Almenar-Pérez, Eloy, Xu, Jiabao et al.·Frontiers in medicine·2022

Researchers tested whether tiny particles called extracellular vesicles in blood could help diagnose ME/CFS. They analyzed various substances in blood from patients and healthy controls using a computer analysis method. The study found that certain features of these blood particles, combined with other markers, could potentially identify ME/CFS, though more testing is needed to confirm this works reliably in larger groups.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

No Signs of Neuroinflammation in Women With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Q Fever Fatigue Syndrome Using the TSPO Ligand [11C]-PK11195.

Raijmakers, Ruud, Roerink, Megan, Keijmel, Stephan et al.·Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation·2022

Researchers used a specialized brain scan to look for signs of inflammation in the brains of women with ME/CFS and Q fever fatigue syndrome, compared to healthy women. The scan didn't find evidence of the type of brain inflammation they were looking for, which contradicts some earlier research suggesting inflammation might play a role in these conditions.

NeuroinflammationBiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Broadband electrical impedance as a novel characterization of oxidative stress in single L6 skeletal muscle cells.

Ferguson, Caroline, Pini, Niccolo, Du, Xiaotian et al.·Analytica chimica acta·2021

This study tested whether a special electrical measurement could detect damage from oxidative stress (harmful chemical reactions) in muscle cells. Researchers treated rat muscle cells with hydrogen peroxide to create oxidative stress, then measured how these stressed cells behaved electrically compared to healthy cells. The stressed cells showed distinctly different electrical patterns, suggesting this technology might one day help diagnose ME/CFS by detecting oxidative stress in patients' muscle cells.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Altered endothelial dysfunction-related miRs in plasma from ME/CFS patients.

Blauensteiner, J, Bertinat, R, León, L E et al.·Scientific reports·2021

This study looked at tiny molecules called microRNAs in the blood of ME/CFS patients to understand what might be going wrong with their blood vessels. The researchers found that five specific microRNAs were higher in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people, and these molecules are known to affect how blood vessels function. This discovery suggests that blood vessel problems might be part of what causes ME/CFS symptoms.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Evaluation of natural killer cell assay performance on shipped blood specimens.

Querec, Troy D, Abrams, Joseph, Stewart, Jennifer J et al.·Journal of immunological methods·2021

This study tested different laboratory methods for measuring natural killer (NK) cell function—an immune system measurement that may be important for ME/CFS—using blood samples that were shipped overnight instead of tested immediately. Researchers compared three different testing approaches and found that two of them (CRCA and FCCA) gave similar results when blood samples were processed a day after collection, suggesting these tests could work for clinical settings where samples need to be shipped.

BiomarkersImmune System

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Gulf War Illness Induced Sex-Specific Transcriptional Differences Under Stressful Conditions.

Dissecting the genetic complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via deep learning-powered genome analysis.

Dysregulation of extracellular vesicle protein cargo in female myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome cases and sedentary controls in response to maximal exercise.

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

Dysregulation of the Kynurenine Pathway, Cytokine Expression Pattern, and Proteomics Profile Link to Symptomology in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Machine learning algorithms for detection of visuomotor neural control differences in individuals with PASC and ME.

Immunometabolic changes and potential biomarkers in CFS peripheral immune cells revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Development of an expert system for the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Role of Tau protein in long COVID and potential therapeutic targets.

An Explainable Artificial Intelligence Model Proposed for the Prediction of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Identification of Distinctive Metabolites.

Detection of Elevated Level of Tetrahydrobiopterin in Serum Samples of ME/CFS Patients with Orthostatic Intolerance: A Pilot Study.

Bayesian Statistics Improves Biological Interpretability of Metabolomics Data from Human Cohorts.

Plasma miR-195-5p predicts the severity of Covid-19 in hospitalized patients.

A case of post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome characterized by post-exertional malaise and low serum acylcarnitine level.

Long-COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): Potential neurophysiological biomarkers for these enigmatic entities.

Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles.

No Signs of Neuroinflammation in Women With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Q Fever Fatigue Syndrome Using the TSPO Ligand [11C]-PK11195.

Broadband electrical impedance as a novel characterization of oxidative stress in single L6 skeletal muscle cells.

Altered endothelial dysfunction-related miRs in plasma from ME/CFS patients.

Evaluation of natural killer cell assay performance on shipped blood specimens.

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