BRAIN CHEMISTRY PROFILES SHOWS CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND GULF WAR ILLNESS AS UNIQUE DISORDERS
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Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found distinct molecular signatures in two brain disorders long thought to be psychological in origin.
km463@georgetown.edu
WASHINGTON (November 10, 2017) — Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found distinct molecular signatures in two brain disorders long thought to be psychological in origin — chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI).
In addition, the work supports a previous observation by GUMC investigators of two variants of GWI. The disorders share commonalities, such as pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and exhaustion after exercise.
Their study, published in
Scientific Reports, lays groundwork needed to understand these disorders in order to diagnosis and treat them effectively, says senior investigator, James N. Baraniuk, MD, professor of medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Narayan Shivapurkar, PhD, assistant professor of oncology at the medical school, worked with Baraniuk on the research.
The changes in brain chemistry — observed in levels of miRNAs that turn protein production on or off — were seen 24 hours after riding a stationary bike for 25 minutes.