European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Feb 2012
ReviewIn the mind or in the brain? Scientific evidence for central sensitisation in chronic fatigue syndrome.
Central sensitisation entails several top-down and bottom-up mechanisms, all contributing to the hyperresponsiveness of the central nervous system to a variety of inputs. In the late nineties, it was first hypothesised that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterised by hypersensitivity of the central nervous system (i.e. central sensitisation). Since then, several studies have examined central sensitisation in patients with CFS. This study provides an overview of such studies. ⋯ The observation of central sensitisation in CFS is in line with our current understanding of CFS. The presence of central sensitisation in CFS corroborates with the presence of several psychological influences on the illness, the presence of infectious agents and immune dysfunctions and the dysfunctional hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis as seen in these severely debilitated patients.