Feasibility of a multimodal MR Imaging and Spectroscopy approach in understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This first multimodal MRI/MRS study aiming to investigate whether an extensive multimodal neuroimaging approach is feasible for patients with ME/CFS. The study compared female ME/CFS participants to aged matched female healthy controls. The study showed successful completion of the entire protocol that included: anatomical imaging; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) along with a working memory task; single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to quantify metabolites at three locations (ACC, BS, and l-DLPC); and a hand-grip strength to observe whether fatigue is induced due to the scanning protocol. It also suggested a minimum impact of the MRI session on grip strength.