Image of T regulatory cells (red) interacting with antigen-presenting cells (blue).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has produced a new study that indicates immune disfunction and brain abnormalities in ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) patients.
The 70-page manuscript is the culmination of nearly eight years work and costing over $8 million. Published in Nature Communications, it has more than 70 authors from 15 of the 27 NIH institutes.
The analysis showed that there is a prolonged immune response that exhausts T cells. T cells are part of the immune system and help protect the body from infection. This would explain why patients with ME feel like they have ongoing flu symptoms.
The study also showed that the ME patients who took part in this study also had abnormal functioning in the part of the brain that governs effort. “When they are asked to exert themselves, it doesn’t light up as much,” said Anthony Komaroff, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It’s like trying to swim against a current.” This indicates why ME patients have a different tolerance to physical and mental exertion, a different perception of fatigue, and a longer recovery rate from exertion.
Despite what the study reveals, the primary question about ME is still yet to be answered: What causes ME?
For more about this study, please see the following links:
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