ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

221–240 of 397 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Probing the working memory system in chronic fatigue syndrome: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using the n-back task.

Caseras, Xavier, Mataix-Cols, David, Giampietro, Vincent et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2006

Researchers used brain imaging to study how people with ME/CFS perform memory tasks. Although patients and healthy people did equally well on the tasks, their brains used different patterns of activity—patients showed unusual activation in certain brain regions during easier tasks and reduced activity in key memory areas during harder tasks. This suggests that people with ME/CFS may need to work harder mentally to achieve the same results.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Sub-typing CFS patients on the basis of 'minor' symptoms.

Janal, Malvin N, Ciccone, Donald S, Natelson, Benjamin H·Biological psychology·2006

This study looked at 161 women with ME/CFS to see if different symptom patterns might point to different types of the illness. Researchers found three possible subtypes: one involving muscle and joint pain, one resembling infectious illness, and one affecting the brain and thinking. People with the brain-related subtype had more trouble with memory and attention, while those with the muscle/joint subtype were more likely to also have fibromyalgia.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cognitive dysfunction relates to subjective report of mental fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Capuron, Lucile, Welberg, Leonie, Heim, Christine et al.·Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2006

People with ME/CFS often report trouble thinking clearly, but researchers haven't always found proof of this on tests. This study found that cognitive problems are real, but mainly in patients who experience significant mental fatigue. When researchers gave cognitive tests to ME/CFS patients, those with high mental fatigue showed genuine difficulties with memory and attention, while those with low mental fatigue performed normally.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: analysis of 82 cases].

Li, Yong-Jie, Wang, De-Xin, Bai, Xiao-Li et al.·Zhonghua yi xue za zhi·2005

This study examined 82 Chinese patients with ME/CFS to understand what symptoms they experience and what might be causing their illness. Researchers found that most patients had memory and attention problems alongside fatigue, many showed signs of anxiety or depression, and some had low levels of a substance called L-carnitine (which helps produce energy) or evidence of a viral infection. When patients took L-carnitine supplements, their levels improved and symptoms got better.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exercise and cognitive performance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cook, Dane B, Nagelkirk, Paul R, Peckerman, Arnold et al.·Medicine and science in sports and exercise·2005

This study tested whether a 25-minute light exercise session affected thinking and memory skills in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS alone showed slower thinking speed and less consistent performance on cognitive tests compared to healthy people, but light exercise did not make their thinking worse. Interestingly, people with ME/CFS plus fibromyalgia did not show these cognitive problems.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

A 12-month follow-up study of self-management training for people with chronic disease: are changes maintained over time?

Barlow, J H, Wright, C C, Turner, A P et al.·British journal of health psychology·2005

This study followed 171 people with chronic illnesses (including ME/CFS) for 12 months after they completed a self-management training course. The improvements they experienced at 4 months—such as better fatigue management, increased confidence in managing their health, and improved mood—stayed the same at 12 months. People continued using the techniques they learned on the course.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Cognitive function and psychological characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].

Li, Yong-jie, Gao, Xu-guang, Wang, De-Xin et al.·Zhonghua yi xue za zhi·2005

This study looked at how ME/CFS affects thinking and memory in 91 Chinese patients compared to 30 healthy people. Researchers found that 90% of ME/CFS patients had problems with memory and attention, and most also experienced depression, anxiety, and obsessive thoughts. The results show that ME/CFS causes real cognitive problems that are different from those seen in psychiatric illnesses alone.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

JP-8 jet fuel exposure and divided attention test performance in 1991 Gulf War veterans.

Bell, Iris R, Brooks, Audrey J, Baldwin, Carol M et al.·Aviation, space, and environmental medicine·2005

This study examined how exposure to low levels of jet fuel affected thinking and attention in Gulf War veterans who were chronically ill. Researchers tested veterans' reaction times on a computer task before and after brief exposures to either jet fuel fumes or clean air, done three times over three weeks. Veterans who were ill and had chemical sensitivities showed faster reaction times after jet fuel exposure, which the researchers suggest might indicate changes in brain chemistry rather than improved thinking.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Illness and disability in Danish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients at diagnosis and 5-year follow-up.

Andersen, M M, Permin, H, Albrecht, F·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study followed 33 people with ME/CFS for 5 years to see how their illness affected their daily lives. Researchers found that most people remained severely disabled, with very few experiencing meaningful recovery. While emotional well-being sometimes improved over time, problems like difficulty reading and allergies often got worse.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Cognitive processing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mahurin, Roderick K, Claypoole, Keith H, Goldberg, Jack H et al.·Neuropsychology·2004

This study tested thinking and processing speed in identical twins where one had ME/CFS and one didn't, compared to healthy people without the condition. Researchers found that both twin groups—even the healthy ones—were slower at tasks requiring quick thinking compared to unrelated healthy controls, but both groups performed equally well on untimed thinking tasks. This suggests that slower processing speed may run in families rather than being caused by ME/CFS itself.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

[Biologically active food additives for correction of the chronic fatigue syndrome].

Dotsenko, V A, Mosiĭchuk, L V, Paramonov, A E·Voprosy pitaniia·2004

This study looked at whether a nutritional supplement made from beer yeast called 'Nagipol' might help people with ME/CFS. Researchers gave the supplement to patients and found improvements in fatigue, thinking ability, mood symptoms, and some blood markers. The authors suggest it could be useful as part of dietary treatment for ME/CFS, especially for patients who are overweight.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Neuropsychological deficits in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Busichio, Kim, Tiersky, Lana A, Deluca, John et al.·Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2004

This study tested how thinking and memory work in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers gave 141 ME/CFS patients and 76 healthy volunteers a series of brain function tests. They found that ME/CFS patients performed noticeably worse on tests measuring attention, processing speed, and motor skills, with some showing significant difficulties across multiple areas.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Working memory deficits in chronic fatigue syndrome: differentiating between speed and accuracy of information processing.

Deluca, John, Christodoulou, Christopher, Diamond, Bruce J et al.·Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2004

This study tested how quickly people with ME/CFS can process information (like reading or hearing something fast) and how well they can hold information in their working memory (like remembering a phone number while writing it down). The researchers found that people with ME/CFS without mental health conditions had slower information processing speeds, but their memory ability was normal. Interestingly, people with ME/CFS who also had depression or anxiety showed similar results to healthy people.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Predictors of outcome in fatigued employees on sick leave: results from a randomised trial.

Huibers, Marcus J H, Bleijenberg, Gijs, van Amelsvoort, Ludovic G P M et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study followed 151 tired employees on sick leave for one year to see who recovered and who returned to work. The researchers found that about 43% of people stopped having persistent fatigue, and 62% went back to work. Interestingly, getting better from fatigue and returning to work were driven by different factors—people who recovered from fatigue tended to view their condition differently psychologically, while those who returned to work tended to be younger, male, and have fewer thinking/memory problems.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Functional status, neuropsychological functioning, and mood in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): relationship to psychiatric disorder.

Tiersky, Lana A, Matheis, Robert J, Deluca, John et al.·The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2003

This study looked at how depression and anxiety affect people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared four groups: people with ME/CFS alone, people with ME/CFS plus mental health symptoms that started after CFS, people with ME/CFS plus mental health symptoms that started before CFS, and healthy controls. The main finding was that while mental health problems don't make the physical fatigue and weakness worse, they do make people feel more emotionally distressed—especially if those mental health issues came before the CFS diagnosis.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Perception of cognitive performance in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Metzger, Fredric A, Denney, Douglas R·Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine·2002

This study looked at how accurately people with ME/CFS judge their own mental performance. When patients with ME/CFS completed a challenging thinking task, they consistently thought they did worse than they actually did, even though their actual performance matched healthy people's performance. This gap between what they thought they could do and what they actually accomplished was linked to how mentally tired and fatigued the task made them feel.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cognitive functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome and the role of depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

Short, Keryn, McCabe, Marita, Tooley, Greg·Journal of psychosomatic research·2002

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have actual problems with memory and thinking skills, or whether the difficulty they experience is mainly related to depression, anxiety, or fatigue. Researchers compared 23 people with ME/CFS to 23 healthy people using both objective tests (like memory tasks) and subjective reports (how people felt their thinking was affected). The findings showed that on actual cognitive tests, people with ME/CFS performed just as well as healthy controls, though they reported feeling that their thinking was worse.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Relationship between chronic fatigue and subjective symptoms of fatigue with performance status (P.S.) and subjective fatigue scale for young adults (SFS-Y)].

Kobayashi, Hidetsugu, Demura, Shinichi·[Nihon koshu eisei zasshi] Japanese journal of public health·2002

This study looked at whether a new questionnaire (the SFS-Y) could help identify young people experiencing chronic fatigue by measuring different types of tiredness symptoms. Researchers gave the questionnaire to over 1,100 teenagers and found that the tool was quite good at spotting chronic fatigue, especially when it measured difficulty concentrating. The results suggest this questionnaire might be useful for screening young people who could develop ME/CFS-like conditions.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Validation of a telephone cognitive assessment test battery for use in chronic fatigue syndrome.

McCue, P, Scholey, A B, Herman, C et al.·Journal of telemedicine and telecare·2002

This study tested whether a telephone-based brain function test could accurately detect thinking problems in people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared two versions of the same test—one on a computer and one done by telephone—in 30 people with ME/CFS and 30 healthy people. Both versions showed that people with ME/CFS were significantly slower at thinking tasks involving attention, memory, and focus, confirming that cognitive problems are real and measurable in this illness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue after breast cancer and in chronic fatigue syndrome: similarities and differences.

Servaes, Petra, Prins, Judith, Verhagen, Stans et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2002

This study compared 57 women with ME/CFS to 57 women who had breast cancer and were experiencing severe fatigue after treatment. Researchers measured fatigue, physical activity, mood, sleep, and concentration using questionnaires, tests, and activity monitors worn for 12 days. While both groups experienced significant fatigue, ME/CFS patients generally had more severe symptoms overall, though some breast cancer survivors reported similar problems with sleep and concentration.

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Probing the working memory system in chronic fatigue syndrome: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using the n-back task.

Sub-typing CFS patients on the basis of 'minor' symptoms.

Cognitive dysfunction relates to subjective report of mental fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: analysis of 82 cases].

Exercise and cognitive performance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

A 12-month follow-up study of self-management training for people with chronic disease: are changes maintained over time?

[Cognitive function and psychological characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].

JP-8 jet fuel exposure and divided attention test performance in 1991 Gulf War veterans.

Illness and disability in Danish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients at diagnosis and 5-year follow-up.

Cognitive processing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Biologically active food additives for correction of the chronic fatigue syndrome].

Neuropsychological deficits in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Working memory deficits in chronic fatigue syndrome: differentiating between speed and accuracy of information processing.

Predictors of outcome in fatigued employees on sick leave: results from a randomised trial.

Functional status, neuropsychological functioning, and mood in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): relationship to psychiatric disorder.

Perception of cognitive performance in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cognitive functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome and the role of depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

[Relationship between chronic fatigue and subjective symptoms of fatigue with performance status (P.S.) and subjective fatigue scale for young adults (SFS-Y)].

Validation of a telephone cognitive assessment test battery for use in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fatigue after breast cancer and in chronic fatigue syndrome: similarities and differences.

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