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Task related cerebral blood flow changes of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: an arterial spin

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
Roland Staud,Jeff Boissoneault,Jason G. Craggs,Song Lai &Michael E. Robinson
Received 05 Dec 2017, Accepted 13 Mar 2018, Published online: 20 Mar 2018

ABSTRACT
Purpose: One hallmark of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is task related worsening of fatigue. Global brain hypoperfusion, abnormal regional activation, and altered functional connectivity of brain areas associated with cognition and memory have been reported but remain controversial.

Methods: We enrolled 17 female participants fulfilling the CDC Criteria for ME/CFS and 16 matched healthy controls (HC). Using a 3T-Phillips Achieva MRI-scanner, pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeling (pCASL), was used to study the dynamics of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and their relationship to mental fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC during a demanding cognitive task, i.e. modified Paced-Auditory-Serial-Addition-Testing (PASAT).

Results: ME/CFS subjects reported more fatigue than HC at baseline (p < .01). Global brain perfusion of ME/CFS and HC subjects was similar at rest. The PASAT resulted in significantly increased fatigue in ME/CFS participants and HC. Although not different between groups, overall CBF significantly increased over the first 3 min of the PASAT and then decreased thereafter. Regional CBF (rCBF) changes were significantly different between groups during the post-task recovery period. Whereas improvement of fatigue of ME/CFS subjects was associated with decreased rCBF in both superior temporal gyri (STG), precuneus, and fusiform gyrus, it was associated with increased rCBF in the same areas in HC.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that ME/CFS is associated with normal global CBF at rest and during a strenuous task (PASAT); however rCBF of several brain regions associated with memory, goal-oriented attention, and visual function was differentially associated with recovery from fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC.

KEYWORDS: Arterial spin labeling, regional cerebral blood flow, chronic fatigue

Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21641846.2018.1453919?journalCode=rftg20&
 

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
Interesting!

Normal cerebral perfusion at rest and after a cognitively fatiguing task but misdirected....and in the regions we would think - memory, goals and surprisingly visual functioning. If blood flows were directed differently then some must have been more prevalent in some areas of the brain and others reduced in other parts of the brain. It would be interesting to see which ones those were.

It certainly makes sense. My ability to think long term was just squashed by ME/CFS. I had a brief recovery caused by Transfer factor and suddenly I started thinking of what to do in the months ahead. I started planning! Planning is like agony now...

Again it took exercise to bring out the differences. I'm surprised Staud used Fukuda but Staud is interesting - he's one of the few FM researchers to cross over to ME/CFS. He's a pretty big deal in FM. It's shocking how few researchers explore both disease - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=staud r
 

Sancar

Sick of being sick ~
Messages
98
Location
So Cal USA
Interesting!

Normal cerebral perfusion at rest and after a cognitively fatiguing task but misdirected....and in the regions we would think - memory, goals and surprisingly visual functioning. If blood flows were directed differently then some must have been more prevalent in some areas of the brain and others reduced in other parts of the brain. It would be interesting to see which ones those were.

It certainly makes sense. My ability to think long term was just squashed by ME/CFS. I had a brief recovery caused by Transfer factor and suddenly I started thinking of what to do in the months ahead. I started planning! Planning is like agony now...

Again it took exercise to bring out the differences.

@Cort - Have you posted your Transfer factor experience here on the forum? If so please reply with the link. I was given Tansfer factor by a NP. It made me sooo ill (much worse than I already am) I couldn’t take it anymore. She suggested I start out with less every other day? Still concerned?
I don’t understand the mechanism and in how it helps the immune system?
Did you have an adverse reaction to Transfer factor when you started? How long & what dose were you on? What exercise did you add to benefit your recovery? Thank you very much for all the great info!
 

hamsterman

Senior Member
Messages
183
Location
Los Angeles
Interesting!

Normal cerebral perfusion at rest and after a cognitively fatiguing task but misdirected....and in the regions we would think - memory, goals and surprisingly visual functioning. If blood flows were directed differently then some must have been more prevalent in some areas of the brain and others reduced in other parts of the brain. It would be interesting to see which ones those were.

It certainly makes sense. My ability to think long term was just squashed by ME/CFS. I had a brief recovery caused by Transfer factor and suddenly I started thinking of what to do in the months ahead. I started planning! Planning is like agony now...

Again it took exercise to bring out the differences. I'm surprised Staud used Fukuda but Staud is interesting - he's one of the few FM researchers to cross over to ME/CFS. He's a pretty big deal in FM. It's shocking how few researchers explore both disease - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=staud r

Well said.... both points. ME really does make it tough to think long-term. And anything that involves more than one simple step... causes mental malaise. I used to love long-term planning.... not anymore.

Also... I agree that researches need to treat FM and ME as different points on a single continuum. I think it would help greatly for both diseases.
 

Sancar

Sick of being sick ~
Messages
98
Location
So Cal USA
@hamsterman ~ I completely agree with you! I have had FM symptoms for decades, however the “Mental Malise” that comes with ME was the turning point for me. My brain crashed, something snapped.
Like you I completely enjoyed long term planning. It’s was my career to budget and plan out production. Now I can’t manage a grocery list.
In my opinion this is not “fibro fog”. I believe serious examination of PET scans from people with ME would reveal a difference. Doctors and Reaserch would have to consistently follow through the spectrums of ME patient scans. I have read hit and miss attempts at this, but no follow through evidence pursuing PET scans.

Perhaps no “funding”, no Pharma backing....:cautious:
 

hamsterman

Senior Member
Messages
183
Location
Los Angeles
@hamsterman ~ I completely agree with you! I have had FM symptoms for decades, however the “Mental Malise” that comes with ME was the turning point for me. My brain crashed, something snapped.
Like you I completely enjoyed long term planning. It’s was my career to budget and plan out production. Now I can’t manage a grocery list.
In my opinion this is not “fibro fog”. I believe serious examination of PET scans from people with ME would reveal a difference. Doctors and Reaserch would have to consistently follow through the spectrums of ME patient scans. I have read hit and miss attempts at this, but no follow through evidence pursuing PET scans.

Perhaps no “funding”, no Pharma backing....:cautious:

Yes, that's all very true. I can deal with almost anything that this disease throws at me... except the ME-brainfog. It is what completely destroys any chance of having a normal life. It makes even the most simple tasks insurmountable.

The only thing I've found that helps is LDN. But it's been very tough to get it to work continuously. The dosing needs to be just right. And sometimes I need to take breaks from it as well. And it doesn't work on everyone.