This index tracks research directions that try to explain what may be going wrong biologically. These threads are organized around disease models and mechanisms rather than treatment names.
Active Mechanism Threads
- Viral Persistence & Reactivation - pathogen reservoirs, EBV and herpesvirus reactivation, viral proteins, and post-viral triggers.
- Immune Dysregulation & Inflammation - NK cells, T cells, B cells, cytokines, monocytes, mast cells, and inflammatory pathways.
- Autoimmunity & Autoantibodies - GPCR autoantibodies, receptor targeting, antigen profiling, and IgG-mediated mechanisms.
- Mitochondrial & Metabolic Dysfunction - cellular bioenergetics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and skeletal muscle energy failure.
- Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction & Microclots - endothelial impairment, microclots, RBC deformability, hypercoagulability, and perfusion pathology.
- Autonomic Dysfunction & POTS - orthostatic intolerance, HRV, baroreflex control, dysautonomia, and autonomic nervous-system dysfunction.
- Neuroinflammation & Brain Changes - brain imaging, CNS inflammation, microglia, neurovascular coupling, and cognitive dysfunction mechanisms.
- Gut Microbiome & Dysbiosis - microbiome, mycobiome, gut barrier dysfunction, bacterial translocation, and gut-derived signals.
- Genetic Risk Factors - GWAS, WGS, DecodeME-style association studies, Mendelian randomization, and genetic risk profiles.
How To Read These Threads
Mechanism threads are explanatory maps. A mechanism can be plausible and useful without being proven as the cause of ME/CFS, so each thread should separate established observations, plausible models, and open questions.