(NewsNation) — People suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have long fought the perception that it’s not a real disease – that it’s “all in your head.” Now, the most thorough study of CFS to date says that’s true.
The study strongly suggests that CFS is caused by a dysfunction in the brain and that it is “unambiguously biological.”
The study, backed by the National Institutes of Health, took an ultra-close look at 17 people suffering from CFS, technically known as Myalgic encephalomyelitis.
“We may have identified a physiological focal point for fatigue in this population,” said the study’s lead author, Brian Walitt, in an NIH press release.
“Rather than physical exhaustion or a lack of motivation, fatigue may arise from a mismatch between what someone thinks they can achieve and what their bodies perform.”
Brain scan images of the test subjects concluded that there’s a change in a specific part of the brain that helps determine how much effort a person should devote to a task. The change, the study says, interferes with a person’s tolerance for exercise and perception of fatigue.
The study has earned some criticism, particularly for the small sample size. Lucinda Bateman, who treats CFS patients at the Bateman Horne Center, says all the participants developed CFS after an infection and had been ill for fewer than five years. She says on Facebook the results don’t fully reflect all people who have CFS.
The researchers originally aimed to recruit 40 participants, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted their efforts. They also chose not to include people who might be harmed by the five days of intense physical tests, or those too sick to travel.
