Editorial: Unraveling the biological mechanisms of chronic fatigue: a multifaceted approach
Abstract
Chronic fatigue, and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in particular, remain without a validated diagnostic marker or a treatment. The post-COVID rise in post-viral fatigue has further widened the gap between clinical need and mechanistic understanding. This Research Topic brings together studies that examine chronic fatigue across several biological levels, including ion-channel function, skeletal muscle physiology, brain structure and function, autonomic and ventilatory regulation, longitudinal outcome, and potential treatment. The collection does not point to one single mechanism. Its value lies in replacing broad clinical description with measurable biological and functional signals, while identifying several recurring themes across different methods and patient groups.One important theme concerns ion transport and calcium regulation. Sasso et al. [1] provide a reproducible cellular finding by using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in natural killer cells across two independent laboratories. They report reduced TRPM3 channel activity in individuals with ME/CFS, with no significant laboratory site effect.Given the role of TRPM3 in calcium signaling, these findings support altered ion-channel regulation as a potential biological feature of ME/CFS. Because TRPM3 was assessed in natural killer cells, this work also connects ion-channel dysfunction with an immune-cell model that has been repeatedly studied in ME/CFS. However, TRPM3 remains a…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Learning from First-Generation Qualitative Approaches in the IS Discipline: An Evolutionary View and Some Implications for Authors and Evaluators (PART 1/2)
- Commentary on the clinical and preclinical dosage limits of interstitially administered magnetic fluids for therapeutic hyperthermia based on current practice and efficacy models
- Prosthesis: New Technological Opportunities and Innovative Biomedical Devices
- The history and future of neural modeling for cochlear implants
- Ryanodine receptors: waking up from refractoriness
- Novel Transgenic Rabbit Model Sheds Light on the Puzzling Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 in Atherosclerosis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.