Neurochemistry of CFS and post-COVID-19 fatigue
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Brain neurochemistry in chronic fatigue syndrome studied with MRS at 7T
IRAS ID
260053
Contact name
Phil Cowen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford/Clinical TRials and Rsearch Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a common and debilitating condition whose causation is not well understood. Many of the symptoms of CFS suggest an underlying brain dysfunction. In a previous study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) we identified a number of neurochemical abnormalities in CFS patients in a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Some of these abnormalities are potentially remediable by dietary treatment. However, biochemical findings in the literature in CFS are inconsistent between studies. We therefore believe that it is important to replicate prospectively the abnormalities we identified in our previous study. The goal of the current investigation is to attempt this replication using MRS in twenty volunteers with CFS and twenty healthy controls.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0603
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion