Walitt, Brian, Ceko, Marta, Gracely, John L et al. · Current rheumatology reviews · 2016 · DOI
This review examined brain imaging studies of ME/CFS and similar conditions to understand what happens in the nervous system. Researchers found that people with these conditions show increased sensitivity to pain and other sensations, suggesting these are real physical conditions—not imaginary or feigned. However, brain imaging hasn't yet revealed a single clear pattern or 'fingerprint' that all these conditions share, and we still don't know if this sensory sensitivity causes the disease or is a result of it.
This review provides crucial validation that ME/CFS and related conditions involve measurable brain changes, countering the long-standing but incorrect perception that these are purely psychological or imaginary. Understanding that sensory amplification is a real neurobiological feature strengthens the case for ME/CFS as an organic medical condition deserving serious research investment and clinical recognition.
This study does not establish whether sensory augmentation is the cause of ME/CFS, a consequence of having the disease, a risk factor that predisposes people to it, or simply an associated feature. It also does not identify a single definitive brain imaging test that could diagnose ME/CFS or prove the existence of 'central sensitization' as a unifying mechanism across all these conditions.
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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