Central nervous system

The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord.

The brain has its own immune system.

Autopsy
ME/CFS patient autopsies have shown changes to the spinal cord.


 * Sophia Mirza's autopsy showed her spine contained massive infection.
 * Lynn Gilderdale had ganglionitis which is an infection of dorsal root ganglia of her spine, typical for a neurological illness.
 * Merryn Crofts's autopsy showed she had ganglionitis.

Brain imaging

 * 2014, Brains of People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Offer Clues About Disorder


 * 2019, Evidence of widespread metabolite abnormalities in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: assessment with whole-brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Cytokines
Cytokines, found in spinal fluid, are increasingly found to be altered in ME/CFS patients and there are several studies by Ian Lipkin and Mady Hornig with the Microbe Discovery Project. See: Cytokine (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome section)

Neuropathological findings

 * 2017, CNS findings in chronic fatigue syndrome and a neuropathological case report

Learn more

 * 2-Minute Neuroscience: Divisions of the Nervous System Video short


 * Central Nervous System Video short