PHOENIX RISING

Ready to get technical? Ready to dive into the deep end? 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 with regard to chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) many roads are leading to the brain. With their consistently positive findings brain studies are amongst the most compelling in the field. 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. 

A Channelopathy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS?? The question of whether a channelopathy - a dysfunction in the channels that regulate ion flow in and out of the cells - could be causing the symptoms in CFS has been achieved some prominence of late. 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.

• A Neurological Channelopathy in ME/CFS? - This paper examines the possibility that many of the abnormalities seen 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. Studies have found cholinergic abnormalities in the brains and skin of CFS patients and increased antibody levels to cholinergic receptors  in the central nervous system. Aberrant choline sensitivity in a genetically engineered rat causes symptoms similar to CFS.

• 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) that are known to trigger CFS. As a subset of these patients lapse into CFS the Dubbo researchers are examining them to determine what has gone wrong.

The Pain of Fibromyalgia - The research into FMS is in a particularly fertile period. We take advantage of several recent studies to look at the different theories regarding how the pain in FMS is caused. This pain could derive from two places in the body; the central nervous system/brain or the muscles/tendons. In Part One we focus on evidence suggesting that the pain in FMS is due to an over sensitized central nervous system, in Part Two we look at evidence that it comes from a disorder in the muscles....and come to a surprising conclusion.

• FMS I: Fibromyalgia is a Brain Disorder

• FMS II: Fibromyalgia is a Muscle Disorder

The Gene Variations in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - How important is heredity in CFS? Researchers do not believe that a variation in a gene can cause CFS but they 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. This is a hot field of research right now. Check out work done by the CDC in this area.

Glutathione Depletion/Methylation Blockades in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Glutathione is the master anti-oxidant in the body.  Besides being involved in scavenging free radicals and degrading a wide variety of toxins glutathione plays a role in amino acid transport, protein synthesis, the cell cycle and immune cell proliferation. These papers by Rich Von Konynenburg examine the evidence for glutathione depletion in CFS and ways of enhancing it.

• This Poster presented at the AACFS conference in Wisconsin in 2004, examines the evidence for, and implications of, low glutathione levels in CFS.

• 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. 

• 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.

• Lipid Replacement Therapy - In this post Rich discusses the intersection between oxidative stress, the mitochondria and lipids in CFS and an exciting new way of increasing energy production in CFS.

• 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.

• Treating Glutathione Depletion-Methylation Blockades in CFS - A simplified guide from Rich Von Konynenburg

• Why is the prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Higher in Women Than in Men? - Rich takes a crack at important issue in CFS - why gender plays such an important role.

The Pathogens in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - No subject matter in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research 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 sometimes seen have long suggested a pathogenic origin to this disease. Attempts to find a single pathogen, however, have proved difficult. The recent gene studies indicating immune dysregulation  in CFS as well as continuing research by a number of innovative researchers into a broad array of pathogens continue to make this field of real importance to chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients. No field has seen greater creativity - the theories spawned by researchers attempting to explain this disease in terms of pathogen persistence are fascinating.

•  The Herpesviruses in CFS, Part One; 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). This paper explains what HHV-6 does in the body, what the differences are between HHV-6A and B, the controversial state of testing for HHV-6, and the pro's and cons of the theory that HHV-6A plays a major role in CFS.

The Pharmacogenomics Papers - the recent CDC efforts to better characterize chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) using a large data set resulted in the simultaneous publication of 14 research papers in the Journal Pharmacogenomics in April, 2006. This complex effort which involved almost 20 researchers, many of them working for free, is the first to attempt to integrate gene expression with laboratory and clinical data. It 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. One researcher has, in fact, suggested orthostatic intolerance is simply a milder form of CFS. Check out why its so difficult for some CFS patients to stand without getting dizzy and how research into this disease may have have widespread implications for CFS.

• 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 an enzyme found in all cells that is activated when that cell is under attack by viruses, some bacteria and at least some toxins.  Upon activation it destroys both pathogenic and/or host mRNA. Recent studies have shown that RNase L also plays a role in apoptosis (cell suicide), muscle cell differentiation, cell migration and a host of other activities. 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.

I invite you to explore the fascinating and multifaceted world of RNase L deregulation in CFS. I suggest you start by reading the chapter by chapter synopses of a book Chronic Fatigue Syndrome A Biological Approach  published in 2002 that views CFS through the prism of RNase L dysfunction. If your interest is piqued you can keep up to date on research into RNase L deregulation in CFS by reading synopses of recent papers devoted to that topic. 

• 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? How can it be that some 3,000 papers later we still have this stupid name?  Why is there still no biomarker for CFS? Why is there still so much controversy over this disease?  This 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.