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What's New in the Atlas

The atlas is continuously updated as new research is ingested, classified, and summarised. Entries shown here pass a quality filter: strong evidence level (E0–E2), biomedical or neutral paradigm, and peer-reviewed source. Every study page carries a permanent disclosure that the summary is machine-drafted.

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Recently Added Studies

The latest studies added to the public atlas. Reviewed entries are shown first. Machine-drafted entries are filtered to E1/E2 evidence level only.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Cardiopulmonary exercise test results do not change over two sequential days in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mancini, Donna M, Cook, Dane B, Brunjes, Danielle L et al.·Frontiers in physiology·2026

Researchers asked whether doing two exercise tests on consecutive days could reliably detect post-exertional malaise (PEM) in ME/CFS patients. They found that oxygen consumption and other key exercise measures did not change between Day 1 and Day 2 in either ME/CFS patients or healthy controls. However, ME/CFS patients reported much greater fatigue during exercise and had lower maximum heart rates. One study's findings do not establish whether this two-day test method is truly useful for measuring PEM in clinical practice.

DiagnosticsPost-Exertional Malaise
E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Central noradrenergic deficiency in post-infectious chronic fatigue: neurobehavioral correlates.

Aregawi, Lillian, Walitt, Brian, Sullivan, Patti et al.·Brain communications·2026

Researchers measured levels of norepinephrine (a brain chemical) in cerebrospinal fluid from people with ME/CFS, Long COVID, and Parkinson's disease, comparing them to healthy volunteers. They observed that norepinephrine pathway activity was lower in all three patient groups, and in Long COVID patients with post-exertional malaise, this reduction was particularly pronounced. This is one study in a small sample, and it remains unclear whether these findings fully explain fatigue and brain fog or apply directly to ME/CFS.

BiomarkersCognitive ImpairmentLong COVID OverlapPost-Exertional Malaise
E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Comprehensive Immunophenotyping of Monocytes and Dendritic Cells Suggests Distinct Pathophysiology in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID.

Petrov, Steliyan, Bozhkova, Martina, Ivanovska, Mariya et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2026

Researchers compared immune cell patterns in 103 people with ME/CFS, 63 with long COVID, and 41 healthy controls using blood tests. They observed that ME/CFS and long COVID show different patterns of immune cell activity—long COVID appeared to show persistent immune activation, while ME/CFS appeared associated with reduced immune signalling. These are early findings from one study and do not yet tell us what causes either condition or how to treat it.

BiomarkersDiagnosticsImmune SystemLong COVID Overlap
E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Subclinical Hypercoagulable Viscoelastic Characteristics Associated with Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV2 Physical Symptoms in COVID-19 ALI/ARDS Survivors.

Jones, Ansley E, Mira-Sanchez, Margarita, Khan, Zain et al.·Journal of intensive care medicine·2026

This study examined blood clotting patterns in 93 people who survived severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, testing them 15 months after discharge. Researchers observed that those with lingering post-COVID symptoms—particularly fatigue and post-exertional malaise (worsening after activity)—showed altered clotting characteristics on specialized blood tests, specifically higher fibrinogen levels. However, this is a single cross-sectional study and does not establish whether these clotting changes cause the symptoms or are simply associated with them.

BiomarkersLong COVID Overlap
E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Shared genetic risk between functional somatic syndromes, internalizing disorders, and immune-mediated diseases: a twin-sibling study.

Steen, Olivier D, Ohlsson, Henrik, van Ockenburg, Sonja L et al.·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2026

A large Swedish study examined whether functional somatic syndromes (including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and IBS) and depression/anxiety share genetic risk factors with immune-mediated diseases. Researchers observed that fibromyalgia showed the strongest shared genetic risk with immune diseases, while ME/CFS showed more modest genetic overlap. The findings are preliminary and do not explain why these conditions cluster together, only that genetic factors may contribute to some shared risk.

BiomarkersImmune System
E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearSystematic-Review

A systematic scoping review and conceptual analysis of new-onset fibromyalgia manifestations after non-hospitalized COVID-19: empirics, definitions, methodologies, pathophysiology, mapping of literature, and knowledge gaps.

Plaut, Shiloh·Journal of translational medicine·2026

This systematic review examined published studies on fibromyalgia-like symptoms that develop after mild COVID-19 infection. Researchers searched medical databases and found 228 studies reporting overlap between long COVID, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia, but noted that different studies use inconsistent definitions and methods, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The causes of these overlapping conditions remain unclear.

NeuroinflammationPain and SensitizationImmune SystemLong COVID Overlap
E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Long COVID longitudinal symptoms burden clusters within a national community-based cohort.

Shen, Yanhan, Shahn, Zach, Robertson, McKaylee M et al.·BMC infectious diseases·2026

This study followed over 500 people with long COVID for up to a year, tracking their symptoms over time. Researchers identified three groups based on symptom burden: one with persistent severe symptoms (including fatigue, brain fog, post-exertional malaise, and pain), one with moderate symptoms that improved, and one with minimal symptoms. The findings are preliminary and based on self-reported data, so the stability and generalisability of these groups to other long COVID populations remain to be confirmed.

Pain and SensitizationSleepAutonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment
E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearSystematic-Review

Recent Perspectives on the Physiological and Therapeutic Benefits of Placental Extracts in Chronic Noninfectious Diseases and Aging.

Xinliang, Zhang, Dudnik, Elena N, Gavrikov, Leonid K et al.·Current medicinal chemistry·2026

This systematic review examined studies on placental extracts—cell-free preparations derived from human or animal placenta—as potential treatments for various chronic diseases including metabolic disorders and liver disease. The review reports that these extracts were associated with improvements in liver function, muscle preservation, and metabolic markers in the studies reviewed; one study also mentioned chronic fatigue syndrome among the conditions examined. However, the authors note that large-scale, rigorously designed trials are needed to confirm whether these treatments actually work, and the quality of evidence underlying these associations remains unclear.

Energy MetabolismInterventions
E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Plasma Extracellular Vesicle Surface Marker Profiling Reveals Immune Cell-Associated Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Alterations in Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Ikeda, Gentaro, Koike-Ieki, Mariko, Inoue, Hiroyuki et al.·Open forum infectious diseases·2026

Researchers analyzed tiny cell particles called extracellular vesicles in blood samples from people with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and healthy controls. They observed that both Long COVID and ME/CFS groups had elevated levels of certain immune cell-derived particles and alterations in mitochondrial (energy-producing) markers within B cells and other immune cells, though the findings were not identical between groups. These preliminary results suggest there may be shared immune and metabolic changes in these conditions, but the meaning of these changes for patient health remains unclear and needs further study.

BiomarkersEnergy MetabolismImmune SystemLong COVID Overlap
E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Phosphoproteomic analysis reveals differential associations between liver-spleen disharmony and qi-blood deficiency syndromes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Zhang, Jiabao, Tian, Ying, Sun, Guanghan et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2026

Researchers compared blood protein markers in 30 people—10 with ME/CFS showing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) 'Liver-Spleen Disharmony' patterns, 10 with 'Qi-Blood Deficiency' patterns, and 10 healthy controls—using advanced protein analysis. They observed different patterns of phosphorylated proteins (chemical modifications on proteins) between the two ME/CFS groups and healthy controls, suggesting that TCM pattern categories may have distinct molecular signatures. However, this is an early exploratory study with a small sample size, and these findings have not yet been replicated.

BiomarkersDiagnostics

Recent Activity

Recent additions and corrections to the atlas record.

May 29, 2026Revised: Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Emerging Roles in Pathogenesis, Immunity, Biomarkers and Therapeutics.
May 29, 2026Revised: Toward a Molecular Reclassification of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Integrating Multi-Omics, Machine Learning, and Precision Medicine.
May 28, 2026Revised: Exploring the perceived impact of physical activity on physical and mental health among individuals with long COVID: A qualitative interview inquiry.
May 24, 2026Revised: Reframing ME/CFS: toward a unified mechanistic model of chronic post-infectious diseases.

Atlas Stats

6145

studies in the public atlas

15

topics with synthesis

7874

raw research records in the corpus