Sleep Disturbance in ME/CFS

In previous sleep studies using traditional methods and techniques, no specific sleep abnormalities have been seen with a single exception highly investigative methods. This proposal intends to examine multiple sleep studies that have been conducted in the past two years and performed at the MGH Neurology Sleep Medicine Laboratory in well characterized patients with ME/CFS.

Furthermore in previously collected brain fluid samples, we will develop techniques to measure orexin, which is an important protein that control sleep boundary states. Lastly, in a pilot study, we will examine a small ME/CFS patient cohort with our sleep colleagues at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Clinical Research Center using the most advanced technologies available to better identify and understand any possible, if not likely, abnormalities in high frequency signals in the deep brain function.

Prior reports using older methods that are highly influenced by more superficial EEG signals from the brain cortex have failed to identify any identifiable similarities to sleep disorders. However, excessive sleep fragmentation is seen. Deeper brain function, particularly as identified looking at higher frequency events, are possible, if not likely, to be identified as dysfunctional in some way in these patients. From the perspective of symptoms and signs as well as a suggestive prior study evaluating spectral coherence data, the possibility is worthy to explore.