Vagus nerve infection hypothesis

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The Vagus Nerve Infection Hypothesis (VNIH) proposes that the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are caused by an infection of the vagus nerve.

In 2013, Michael VanElzakker, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, published the hypothesis.[1]

The vagus nerve is responsible for the sickness response.

Theory

VanElzakker believes that any infectious agent with an affinity for nerve tissues can cause a vagus nerve infection, including HHV-6, Epstein-Barr virus, Varicella zoster virus, chicken pox, certain kinds of enteroviruses and even Borrelia, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. He thinks this could explain why no single infective agent has been isolated as the cause of CFS, even though all of these agents have been associated with disease.[2]

Treatment

Evidence

Notable studies

Learn more


See also

References

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[1]

[2]