Thread:

The 10 publications below provide scientific evidence that patients with #MECFS have #brain abnormalities in #neuroinflammation, #metabolism, #neurological connections and blood perfusion

#pwME suffer from #chronicillness

#pwME are #SickNotWeak

1. These studies “provide evidence of #neuroinflammation in #MECFS.. as well as evidence of the possible contribution of neuroinflammation to the pathophysiology of #MECFS”

#pwME

http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/55/6/945.long

2. This Australian study found abnormalities in the #brain MRIs and peripheral Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in #MECFS patients including the Vasomotor centre, midbrain and hypothalamus

#pwME

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158216300584

3. Brain MRIs show that patients with #MECFS have significantly higher lactate in their cerebral spinal fluid compared to healthy controls

These findings suggest that #pwME have a problem in brain-related mitochondrial #metabolism

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29308330 

4. SPET analysis of #CFS patients found a reduction in brain perfusion

“our data suggest that brainstem hypoperfusion in #CFS patients could be due to an organic abnormality”

#MECFS #pwME

https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article-abstract/88/11/767/1569403#.XEkeFLn1j5U.twitter

5. These MRI studies found that the “impaired brainstem signal conduction [in #CFS patients] may stimulate elevated sensorimotor myelination.. [that may] have broad consequences for regulation of cerebral function..”

#MECFS #pwME

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158218302237

6. #Brain MRI studies in women with #CFS showed that the presence of pain is associated with neuronal alterations and #metabolic defects in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

#MECFS #pwME
https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(16)32737-8/abstract

7. This MRI study found elevated lactate and reduced cortical glutathione (GSH) in the brains of #CFS patients suggesting increased oxidative stress, cerebral hypoperfusion and/or secondary #mitochondria dysfunction

#MECFS #pwME

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/nbm.2772#.XEk4C8bECGg.twitter

8. #Brain proton MRS imaging has shown that patients with #CFS had significantly increased ventricular lactate compared to healthy controls or patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

#MECFS #pwME

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/nbm.2772#.XEk75i1YJ9Y.twitter

9. proton MRS analysis of the basal ganglia of #CFS brains found abnormal levels of N-acetyl aspartate, creatinine and choline-containing compounds

#MECFS #pwME

https://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=12598734

10. #Brain proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy found biochemical abnormalities in phospholipid #metabolism of #CFS brains

#MECFS #pwME

…https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/doi/epdf/10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.01300.x

11. Conclusion: The above 10 research publications indicate that there are clear biochemical, metabolic and inflammatory abnormalities in the brains of #pwME

12. This @FrontNeurol study provides important guidelines and methodological approaches for future brain imaging studies examining #neuroinflammation in #MECFS https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.01033

13. Using #brain imaging will be important for identifying new diagnostics/treatments for #MECFS

It is essential that future studies use clinically defined patient cohorts

Overly broad #CFS definitions such as Fukuda and Oxford will only hamper progress in #MyalgicE research