Open UK: Brighton and Sussex University Hospital and Medical School - Chronic Pain and Fatigue

https://www.actionforme.org.uk/reso...brain-inflammation-phd-study-you-are-funding/

first part reads
What's the brain inflammation study you're funding?
Led by: Dr Neil Harrison, Reader in Neuropsychiatry and Neuroimaging, Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Aims: An increasing body of work suggests alteration in brain structure and function in M.E./CFS using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Additionally there is growing evidence that immune system and autonomic nervous system function is altered in ME/CFS.

Recruiting a PhD student, this project will focus on differences in brain activity between people with M.E./CFS and fibromyalgia using state-of-the-art HCP (Human Connectome Project) resting state functional connectivity imaging.

It aims to investigate the neural responses to mild inflammation and how these might contribute to fatigue, post-exertional malaise and pain, and correlate with abnormalities of interoception, immune and autonomic nervous system function and metabolism.

Specifically, this project seeks to answer the following questions:

• Do patients with M.E./CFS present with differences in neural connectivity as measured by resting-state functional connectivity (rfMRI) compared to controls?
• Do patients with M.E./CFS show different connectivity responses to an inflammatory stimulus compared to controls?
• Do these differences in functional connectivity correlate with altered interoception, dysautonomia or levels of inflammation in the blood measured with gene expression (transcriptomics) and metabolism (metabolomics)?
• Can we use the answers to these questions to inform targeted research into the neurobiological mechanisms of M.E./CFS and highlight possible treatment targets in the future to enhance understanding of this often poorly understood condition and improve the lives of patients?