Could Memory Engrams Play a Role in ME?

[Wishful]

I came across a study about memory engrams affecting metabolism ( https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250423111753.htm ). Is it possible that such engrams could play a role in ME? Maybe a prior viral infection forms a strong memory of sickness behavior, which is later triggered by immune signals? Hard to find a biomarker for that sort of mechanism.

Just a thought.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Thats interesting.


Engrams are what you work on in Scientology sessions. It's probably one of the more effective "techniques" they use- which is called TECH (before anybody else invented that term). When somebody asks you if you've ever been audited (not for tax purposes)....they are referring to the process of finding and working on these engrams.

"In Dianetics and Scientology, an engram is a pseudoscientific concept referring to a stored, detailed memory of a traumatic event, particularly one that occurred while an individual was partially or fully unconscious. These engrams are said to reside in the "reactive mind" and are believed to cause emotional and physical distress when later encountered. Scientology practices like "auditing" aim to identify and remove engrams. "

The term pseudoscientific was used by Google AI.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Maybe a prior viral infection forms a strong memory of sickness behavior

personally, I can largely turn off sickness behavior.

What happens then is I feel considerably better, often within a few minutes.

But what happens next? I still crash later. I'll get intense PEM if I "ignore the sickness" and behave like a normal. Whatever the sickness is, it exists outside of Sickness Behavior. Which is sort of our personal brain opinion that this really sucks. And don't go gather firewood now, etc etc etc.

 

[Wishful]

I saw the study as about a hormone-activating circuit. Not psychological, but physiological. Just another input into hormone activation or cellular behaviour. When trying to diagnose a complex system that is malfunctioning, it's important to consider all inputs that might be affecting the output.

I could see memory of events altering cellular behaviour as a possible survival trait. If the immune system couldn't evolve enough to increase survival by somehow remembering an effective response, some other part of the body that does have memory could evolve to adjust things to increase survival.

Assuming this engram-hormone link is valid, I'd file it away for for when research does come up with a finding that they can't explain by other means.

 

[stellaluna]

personally, I can largely turn off sickness behavior.

What happens then is I feel considerably better, often within a few minutes.

But what happens next? I still crash later. I'll get intense PEM if I "ignore the sickness" and behave like a normal. Whatever the sickness is, it exists outside of Sickness Behavior. Which is sort of our personal brain opinion that this really sucks. And don't go gather firewood now, etc etc etc.

Turn it off? Like willfully or by doing certain activities? Mine can “turn off” if I am really engaged in socializing, but I do have to be at a certaon threshold of wellness to even get to that point. Or stress. I find stress is highly mobilizing and makes my pain go away… despite doctors wanting to always tell me how much stress worsens my symptoms. Eye roll. Acute stress definitely does not.