EB: Reduced Basal Ganglia Activation in Chronic Fatigue

Reduced basal ganglia activation may play a role in chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a study presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting, held from April 21 to 25 in San Diego.

TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Reduced basal ganglia activation may play a role in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to a study presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting, held from April 21 to 25 in San Diego.

Elizabeth R. Unger, M.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues used a monetary win-lose gambling task which strongly activates basal ganglia to investigate basal ganglia function in 18 individuals with CFS and 41 non-fatigued, age-, sex-, and race-matched controls. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging, and activation in basal ganglia regions of interest was measured.

"Many patients with chronic fatigue syndrome encounter a lot of skepticism about their illness," Unger said in a statement. "They have difficulty getting their friends, colleagues, coworkers, and even some physicians to understand their illness. These results provide another clue into the biology of chronic fatigue syndrome."