Fatigue and memory impairments in CFS/ME & MS: An MRI study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the neural mechanisms of Fatigue and memory impairments in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis: An MRI study
IRAS ID
236212
Contact name
N Jade Thai
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a relatively common and a significant health burden. Patients with CFS/ME describe significant and disabling problems with memory and attention. Treatments for CFS/ME are moderately effective in improving disability and fatigue but have little effect on cognitive problems. Multiple sclerosis is a highly prevalent neurological disorder. The pathology of MS is diverse: two of the most common symptoms are fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. The impact of fatigue on cognitive ability has been investigated in both CFS/ME and MS and but they have not been compared directly with evidence obtained with functional MRI. A comparison between CFS/ME patients’ group and MS patients’ group is appropriate because both patient populations present similar symptom cluster such as fatigue and cognitive impairments in memory. Separate brain imaging studies in CFS/ME and MS have independently shown evidence that these patients may compensate for their cognitive difficulties by recruiting different brain regions compared to healthy controls. However, it is unclear how the brain’s compensatory mechanisms are related to fatigue and cognitive function.
We aim to conduct a study to recruit patients with CFS/ME and MS as well as healthy volunteers. We will assess fatigue using a number of questionnaires and invite patients from each group matched for fatigue to come for a cognitive assessment and brain MRI scans. We have developed and tested a suite of memory tasks that distinguish the components of working memory to reveal the independent contributions of short term memory capacity, attention, and executive control. The use of this set of tasks in this study is to allow us to gain understanding of the complex relationship between fatigue and cognitive processes. The brain imaging will allow us to examine the brain mechanisms underlying memory impairments in CFS/ME and MS and the impact of fatigue on the brain and memory function.REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
17/WA/0401
Date of REC Opinion
11 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion