Magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of thin slices of tissues. MRI scans can be used to image many different parts of the body, including the brain, joints, major organs and even the whole body.

MRI scans can be used for many different purposes, e.g. to show:
 * abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord
 * abnormalities in various parts of the body such as breast, prostate, and liver
 * joint injuries or abnormalities, for example a knee injury
 * heart structure and function
 * areas of activity within the brain, using a functional MRI
 * blood flow through blood vessels and arteries

ME/CFS MRI evidence

 * Possible white matter abnormalities of unknown etiology are found on MRIs of some ME/CFS patients. These are identified by T2 hyperintensities, which might indicate lesions or Virchow-Robin spaces.

Notable studies

 * 1993, A controlled study of brain magnetic resonance imaging in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome
 * 1999, Brain MRI abnormalities exist in a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
 * 2016, Progressive Brain Changes in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Longitudinal MRI Study
 * 2016, Autonomic correlations with MRI are abnormal in the brainstem vasomotor centre in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * 2017, Medial prefrontal cortex deficits correlate with unrefreshing sleep in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
 * 2018, Decreased Connectivity and Increased Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent Complexity in the Default Mode Network in Individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * 2018, Brain function characteristics of chronic fatigue syndrome: A task fMRI study

Learn more

 * Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Merck Manual
 * MRI scans - MedlinePlus
 * Head MRI - Radiology info