Schwartz, R B, Garada, B M, Komaroff, A L et al. · AJR. American journal of roentgenology · 1994 · DOI
Researchers used two different brain imaging techniques—MRI and SPECT—to look for abnormalities in the brains of ME/CFS patients. They found that SPECT scans detected significantly more brain abnormalities in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls, while MRI scans showed fewer differences. Importantly, SPECT abnormalities appeared to change with clinical status, suggesting they might be useful for tracking disease progression.
This study provides objective neuroimaging evidence of brain involvement in ME/CFS, potentially validating patient-reported cognitive and neurological symptoms. The finding that SPECT abnormalities correlate with clinical status suggests functional brain imaging could become a tool for monitoring disease progression and treatment response. This work supports the recognition of ME/CFS as a neurobiological condition rather than purely psychiatric.
This study does not establish what causes the SPECT abnormalities or whether they are specific to ME/CFS, as the small sample size and cross-sectional design prevent definitive causal claims. Correlation between SPECT findings and clinical status does not prove these abnormalities cause symptoms; they may be secondary effects. The study cannot determine whether these brain changes are reversible or permanent, or whether they develop before, during, or after disease onset.
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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