Ready to get technical? The research section contains overviews of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research topics. Created by and for laypeople they can - as befits the subject - be challenging.
The Brain in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - They used to say all roads lead to Rome. Right now it seems that many roads are leading to the brain.Check out a series of papers that may identify where the problem is, how it may have occurred and what effects it may have had.
Cardiac Issues - The Heart of the Matter in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - Could a heart dysfunction be behind the fatigue and other problems in ME/CFS? Check out a series of papers taking a critical look at the evidence.
A Channelopathy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)? Since damaged ion channels could occur in any cell, a channelopathy could cause vastly different symptoms depending on which tissues it occurred in. Recent CFS gene expression studies have highlighted several ion channel genes.
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A Neurological Channelopathy in ME/CFS? - Could many of the abnormalities in CFS are due to an ion channel dysfunction in the nervous system?
The Cholinergic System in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - Choline plays a major role in many important processes in the body including nerve transmission, muscular activity and blood flows to the tissues.
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Choline on the Brain? - Several studies have revealed increased choline production in one part of the brain in CFS. Where this choline overproduction occurs, why it might be happening, and what its significance may be are examined in this paper.
Defining Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - Defining CFS correctly is critical to its success as a research subject. The CDC recently created a new (Empirical) definition of CFS that raised a great deal of controversy. In this paper we carefully examine what is different about the new definition and how it might affect chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research.
The Dubbo Studies - A Model of Post-Infective Fatigue Emerging? - The Dubbo Studies are a fascinating set of studies examining people infected one of three pathogens (Ross-River Virus, Epstein-Barr Virus, Coxiella Burnetii) as they lapse into chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
The Pain of Fibromyalgia - We take advantage of several recent studies to look at the different theories regarding how the pain in FMS is caused....and come to a surprising conclusion.
The Gene Variations in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - How important is heredity in CFS? Researchers are finding that in CFS, like other complex diseases, multiple gene variations occurring in variety of immune, endocrine and neurological genes may predispose one to CFS.
Glutathione Depletion/Methylation Blockades in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Glutathione is the master anti-oxidant in the body. These papers by independent researcher Rich Von Konynenburg examine the evidence for glutathione depletion in CFS and ways of enhancing it.
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This Poster presented at the AACFS conference in Wisconsin in 2004, examines the evidence for, and implications of, low glutathione levels in CFS.
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Glutathione Depletion in Autism and the Implications for CFS - More and more research into this master anti-oxidant is done every year. Check out how findings of low glutathione in autism may have implications for our understanding of CFS.
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Augmenting Glutathione Levels in CFS - Discover the many different ways used to boost the levels of this master antioxidant in the body. Everyone with CFS should give glutathione supplementation a try.
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Glutathione Depletion-Methylation Cycle Block: A Hypothesis for the Pathogenesis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Rich proposes what he believes is the underlying cause of glutathione depletion in CFS.
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Treating Glutathione Depletion-Methylation Blockades in CFS - A simplified guide from Rich Von Konynenburg
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Why is the prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Higher in Women Than in Men? - Rich takes a crack at an important issue in CFS - why gender plays such an important role.
The Pathogens in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - No subject is more fraught with controversy than that concerning the pathogens. The flu-like symptoms often found at the onset and during the illness, as well as the immune abnormalities seen have long suggested a pathogenic origin to this disease.
- The Herpesviruses in CFS: The Herpesvirus Six (HHV-6) - No pathogens have received more attention in CFS than the peculiar family of viruses called the Herpesviruses, and no pathogen has received more attention than Human Herpesvirus Six (HHV-6).
The Pharmacogenomics Papers - these efforts to integrate gene expression with laboratory and clinical data resulted in the simultaneous publication of 14 research papers in the Journal Pharmacogenomics in April, 2006. This complex effort could re-orient our thinking on CFS. Click here to read summaries of these intriguing papers.
The Perils of Standing; Orthostatic Intolerance, the Autonomic Nervous System and CFS - Orthostatic intolerance (OI) - the inability to stand without symptoms - commonly occurs in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). It is astonishing how many symptoms orthostatic intolerance has in common with CFS; no other diseases or conditions have as similar a presentation.
- Part One - Testing Orthostatic Intolerance in CFS - what is OI, what tests are used to diagnose it, and how do CFS patients measure up?
- Part Two: Types of Orthostatic Dysfunction - the type of OI found in CFS, the particular vascular difficulties found therein plus the 'Dreaded Subsets'.
- Part Three - Possible Sources of the Orthostatic Intolerance Seen in CFS - Potential causes of OI in CFS and ongoing research.
- Part Four - Treatments for Orthostatic Intolerance, A Biomarker for CFS?, Conclusions, Links and References - Potential treatments for OI, an exciting new study by Naschitz on a biomarker for CFS and conclusions.
Reports from the International AACFS/IACFS Conferences - This section contains reports from many of the international conferences on chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) held in the past eight years.
CFS Research Groups - Check who's researching CFS, what they're researching and where they are located.
RNase L Deregulation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - RNase L is activated when cells are under attack by pathogens. In most CFS patients thus far studied the RNase L enzyme is fragmented and the RNase L system deregulated. An RNase L fragment commonly seen in CFS patients is the closest thing to a biomarker yet found for this disease.
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome A Biological Approach The book - a chapter by chapter synopsis of this fascinating book
- RNase L Dysfunction and CFS - The papers - this section includes synopses of papers published in scientific journals that explore the extent and ramifications of IFN dysregulation and RNase L and protein kinase R (PKR) dysfunction in CFS.
- RNase L - background readings on RNase L and PKR
Trends in CFS Research - Why, after all this research is the scientific community still unclear about the cause of CFS? Why is there still no biomarker for CFS? Why is there still so much controversy over this disease? This 2005 survey of PubMed citations dating back to 1988 reveals how the quantity and focus of CFS has changed over the past 17 years, and it leaves us with some disturbing conclusions about the pace of CFS research and its future prospects.
2006: 'The Year of Innovation': Research Group of the Year / Research Paper of the Year and Top Ten Researchers. 2006 was an exciting year in ME/CFS research. Take a look back at some of the important discoveries.
