E3 PreliminaryPreliminaryPEM unclearReview-NarrativePeer-reviewedMachine draft
Central sensitization as a component of post-deployment syndrome.
Lewis, Jeffrey D, Wassermann, Eric M, Chao, Wendy et al. · NeuroRehabilitation · 2012 · DOI
Quick Summary
This study suggests that post-deployment syndrome—a condition affecting military veterans with chronic pain, fatigue, and memory problems—may develop through a process called central sensitization. Central sensitization means the nervous system becomes overly sensitive and amplifies pain signals. The researchers propose this happens because of changes in how the brain and spinal cord process information, and that stress and genes may increase the risk.
Why It Matters
This study is important because it proposes a biological mechanism—central sensitization—that could explain ME/CFS and related conditions, moving away from viewing these illnesses as purely psychological or unexplained. Understanding shared mechanisms across post-deployment syndrome, fibromyalgia, and ME/CFS could accelerate development of targeted treatments and improve recognition of these conditions as legitimate medical disorders.
Observed Findings
- Central sensitization has been documented in related conditions (fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome) that share symptom profiles with post-deployment syndrome.
- Service members and veterans report chronic widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive complaints consistent with sensory amplification.
- Genetic and stress factors have been implicated in the development of chronic widespread pain conditions.
Inferred Conclusions
- Post-deployment syndrome likely shares a common pathophysiological mechanism with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome involving central sensitization.
- Neuroplastic changes in the central nervous system may underlie the pain amplification and symptom burden observed in PDS.
- Stress and genetic predisposition may be contributing risk factors for developing central sensitization in vulnerable military populations.
Remaining Questions
- What specific neurobiological markers (e.g., neuroimaging, quantitative sensory testing results) definitively demonstrate central sensitization in post-deployment syndrome?
- Which genetic variants increase susceptibility to central sensitization in military personnel?
- How do environmental stressors (deployment exposures, trauma) trigger and maintain neuroplastic changes in the CNS?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This review article does not provide new empirical evidence proving central sensitization causes post-deployment syndrome or ME/CFS; it synthesizes existing theory. It does not establish causation, only proposes a mechanistic hypothesis based on clinical similarities. The study does not test specific biomarkers, conduct neuroimaging, or measure sensory thresholds in patients.
Tags
Symptom:Cognitive DysfunctionPainFatigueSensory Sensitivity
Biomarker:Neuroimaging
Method Flag:PEM Not DefinedExploratory Only
Metadata
- DOI
- 10.3233/NRE-2012-00805
- PMID
- 23232159
- Review status
- Machine draft
- Evidence level
- Early hypothesis, preprint, editorial, or weak support
- Last updated
- 8 April 2026
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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