Science and technology Australia (Commonwealth Union) – The condition chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), often displays symptoms such as severe tiredness even with proper sleep, increased tiredness with physical activity, headaches and depression among others. The condition is often misdiagnosed which can result in medication that are irrelevant to the condition.
A very, bubbly and energetic, 24-year-old occupational rehabilitation consultant Nadia was living her best life when the fatigue caved in.
Then, 5 years since her 1st symptoms of chronic fatigue were displayed, she is participating in a novel brain imaging study conducted by the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), hoping to bring in more efficient and faster ways to diagnose and treat the debilitating syndrome impacting over 24 million people across the globe.
Nadia stated that she finds that people don’t know how a 20-year-old can be fatigues constantly and felt an unknown virus triggered her condition.
Once she recovered from the virus, she never felt the same or regained her energy.
As there is no clear cause, objective diagnostic test or cure, research conducted by the UniSC, Thompson Institute may hold the key to finally identifying the neurobiological origin of CFS.
Dr Zack Shan who is the lead researcher states the worlds 1st research is using MRIs in monitoring brain activity for approximately 300 study participants to find out how the brain regulates its blood flow to match its energy requirements, to gain more knowledge on the disease process of fatigue linked illnesses.
Together with ME/CFS, the study is also looking for participants with long-COVID and fibromyalgia, a chronic condition leading to muscle and bone pain, together with fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
Healthy volunteers who lead mostly inactive lives are also significant for the research, permitting researchers to contrast brain activity in persons with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia from non-sufferers.
Dr Shan stated that this permits them to analyze and gain insights from the vast amount of details brain imaging gives in regard to how specific areas of the brain vary between people with and without fatigue conditions.
“If we can determine the factors that cause chronic fatigue syndrome, including a neuromarker or biological indicator–for both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, we can help diagnose them faster, “said Dr Shan further saying “This could benefit the design of biologically based therapeutic interventions and reduce patients’ frustration by providing an accepted definite cause for their symptoms.”
Dr Shan stated that even though the causes of ME/CFS and fibromyalgia are unresolved, the well-documented effects, such as profound fatigue, sleep disturbance and cognitive impairments indicate that abnormal brain function has an essential role in the underlying disease process.
The brain takes up 20% of total body energy consumption but has restricted or no energy reservoir. Normal function depends critically on the well-timed matching of local blood movement to neural energy demand.
The researchers hold the view that abnormalities in this process, referred to as neurovascular coupling, are responsible.
To confirm this hypothesis, participants have to carry out cognitive tasks when their scan takes place to measure how their brains control blood flood in response, and its association to fatigue severity. The scans monitor changes to chemical messages in their brains as they finish mental exercises as well.
Dr Shan further stated that the results would be applied to generate a brain pattern of distributed clusters forecasting disease severity, possibly giving a neuromarker for predicting ME/CFS fatigue conditions.
Following a long, frustrating road for her diagnosis, Nadia stated that the opportunity to assist researchers gain more knowledge of her condition is appealing and she is encouraging others to do so as well.
More participants are required, including those with fibromyalgia, and those who are in good health that can volunteer.
