Clues to 'Brain Fog' in Chronic Fatigue Patients Found in Spinal Fluid

Study reveals evidence that it's 'not made up,' researcher says

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 31, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- People with chronic fatigue syndrome show a distinct pattern of immune system proteins in their spinal fluid -- a finding that could shed light on the "brain fog" that marks the condition, researchers say.

The new study found that, compared with healthy people, those with chronic fatigue syndrome had lower levels of certain immune-system proteins called cytokines in the fluid that bathes the spinal cord and brain.

The exception was one particular cytokine, which was elevated in not only people with chronic fatigue, but also those with multiple sclerosis.

The finding could offer clues as to why people with chronic fatigue syndrome typically have problems with memory, concentration and thinking, said lead researcher Dr. Mady Hornig, a professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

The study also bolsters evidence that some type of immune dysfunction underlies the puzzling disorder, Hornig said.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is known medically as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS. In the United States, it affects up to 2.5 million people, according to the Institute of Medicine, a scientific panel that advises the federal government.

In February, the IOM released a report affirming that chronic fatigue syndrome is a legitimate medical condition that many health professionals still misunderstand -- or even dismiss as a figment of patients' imagination.

The term "chronic fatigue syndrome" was coined back in 1988, and in hindsight, it was a "lousy" choice, said Suzanne Vernon, a virologist and scientific director of the Solve ME/CFS Initiative, based in Los Angeles.

"People hear it and think, 'Oh, you're tired. I'm tired, too,'" said Vernon, who was not involved in the study. "But this is debilitating fatigue. It's like having a case of the flu that never goes away."

Plus, symptoms go beyond fatigue, and include what's been dubbed "brain fog" -- a collection of thinking-related problems such as confusion and difficulty with concentration and short-term memory.

For the new study, reported March 31 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, Hornig's team studied spinal-fluid samples from 32 people with chronic fatigue syndrome, 40 with multiple sclerosis, and 19 healthy people.

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Letting Kids Sip Alcohol May 'Send Wrong Message'

Study suggests it might make booze more appealing to children

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 31, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are allowed occasional sips of alcohol are more likely to start drinking by the time they're in high school, a new study suggests.

Researchers followed 561 middle school students in Rhode Island for about three years. At the start of sixth grade (about age 11), nearly 30 percent of the students said they'd had at least one sip of alcohol.

In most cases, those sips were provided by parents, often at parties or special occasions.

By ninth grade, 26 percent of those who'd had sips of alcohol at a younger age said they'd had at least one full alcoholic drink, compared with less than 6 percent of those who didn't get sips of alcohol when younger.

The researchers also found that 9 percent of the sippers had gotten drunk or engaged in binge drinking by ninth grade, compared with just under 2 percent of the non-sippers.

The study was published March 31 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

The findings don't prove that sips of alcohol at an early age are to blame for teen drinking, said lead researcher Kristina Jackson, of Brown University's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, in Providence, R.I.

"We're not trying to say whether it's 'OK' or 'not OK' for parents to allow this," Jackson said in a journal news release.

She noted that some parents believe that introducing children to alcohol at home teaches them about responsible drinking and reduces the appeal of alcohol.

"Our study provides evidence to the contrary," Jackson said.

Giving sips of alcohol to young children may send them a "mixed message," she suggested.

"At that age, some kids may have difficulty understanding the difference between a sip of wine and having a full beer," Jackson said.

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New Research Tightens Childhood Paralysis-Enterovirus D68 Link

Lab tests confirm half of cases in recent outbreak tied to specific virus strain

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, March 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- New research strengthens the suspected connection between a virus called enterovirus D68 and the sudden development of paralysis in children in California and Colorado between 2012 and 2014.

The researchers found the genetic signature of a specific type of enterovirus D68, called B1, in half of youngsters who developed acute flaccid myelitis. This complication causes sudden muscle weakness and paralysis. The researchers didn't find any other infectious agent that was capable of causing the children's symptoms.

This strain of enterovirus D68 first appeared about four years ago, according to the study authors. The researchers also found signs that this strain of enterovirus doesn't always lead to complications. In a pair of siblings infected by the strain, only one developed acute flaccid myelitis.

"This suggests that it's not only the virus, but also patients' individual biology that determines what disease they may present with," said Dr. Charles Chiu, associate professor of laboratory medicine and director of the University of California, San Francisco-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center.

"Given that none of the children have fully recovered, we urgently need to continue investigating this new strain ... and its potential to cause acute flaccid myelitis," he said in a university news release.

The study was published in the March 30 issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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