Fascinating article. Thank you so much for posting this. It may serve as some validation. Many blessings on you.

Oh goodness! This is the kind of validation we need. A scan that shows in COLOR that something has gone wrong with us. Actual PHYSICAL scans that show things, instead of more articles on hypothesis and and how the CDC is of no help to us! It's all very disheartening. For ALL of us, but especially the newer, younger people being diagnosed with this debilitating illness.

I was 57 years old and had lived a perfectly healthy, happy life when I was struck down with this "thing" we call CFS. To be honest, I don't care what you call it. I have it. It has taken away my quality of life, my job, my friends......you all know what I'm talking about. If they ever do find a test that will help them along towards some answers, I would pray it would be soon, as the age group of people succumbing to this illness is getting younger and younger and I can't imagine being in my twenties and tied to the bed.

Oh, I hope someone with some POWER can take this research and run with it!!

There is always hope, my friends!!

I am due to have an MRI in a month, does this mean they will be able to see it, or do they have to do a 'special' MRI?????

Where do I sign up?

Thanks so much for the post!

Thank you so much for this post.
It is yea, a fascinating
article. Any headway that can be made in any medical
realm of research is certainly to the advantage of all of us here.
Let's hope they just keep pressing along these lines.

art girl:

The article refers to using "new" scanning methods. I would assume that someone who was familiar with what different scans look like, would be able to look at those samples in the article and tell what type of scans they were. Possibly a PET scan, because I know they show color......or possibly a regular MRI!!! It's a good question. They did not go into detail with the name of the scan! There are many different types, but I'm sure it's already out there, because they showed samples of the results in the article.

Now, getting a doctor to order one on us, well, that would be the next step. Maybe you could take the article picture with you when you go for your MRI and even ask one of the techs. there. They would most likely know by looking!!!

There are CT scans, PET scans, MRI scans, SPECT scans.....we need more research on this article to get the details down!! I'm just thrilled to see something in PRINT that shows a difference and identifies it as the difference between the normal person and the person affected with CFS. You don't see stuff like this very often!!!

I think this is the same research in a different article, from Stanford http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2014/10/study-finds-brain-abnormalities-in-chronic-fatigue-patients.html Might have more info. Just googling brain scans and CFS another 4 studies turned up all showing inflamation. This is such good news. Once Stanford do their larger study things could really change!

Thanks for the webpage. Its great there starting to figure this out.

Too sick this week to read the article at the moment but did want to say that no, MRIs do not show it. I've had several. They might show some decline in brain tissue but that is about it. Thanks for posting this.

I believe I mentioned this some time ago.In the nineties I had an MRI which revealed an abnormality in my brain and the report has remained through all my updated medical statements.There was no explanation given by the specialist or my doctor at the time.I also had a brain scan which revealed unusual brain patterns.There was no explanation given or diagnosis there either.I find this new article very intriguing.

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing. Also interesting was the results of others' MRIs. One saying yes, the other saying no abnomalitites. So, is it some other type of scan that this research used? The part about this illness that is so frustrating is the variations between patient who appear to have the same symptoms.

@ art girl, I believe they used a PET scan. The MRI is not as in depth.

I should never hit and run on my posts, sorry.
I too, had abnormalities on my mri, specifically a bit less white matter and some space around the edges of my brain. What I meant to say is what cfshope said better, this particular study used a different kind of scan, not a plain mri. I just had one last month and it doesn't show the brain in anything like the kind of detail that the scans in the article show.
Hope all are well.

Solve ME/CFS posted this on FB same study, more technical...some of it was beyond me but thought I'd add it in case there are some med folks here. http://www.cortjohnson.org/blog/2014/10/30/stanford-brain-study-sparks-media-reports-chronic-fatigue-study-real-disorder/

Pardon my sleepy response, but hasn't Dr. Amen been talking about this with PET scans for years?

Just a quick thought.... :-)