ME/CFS Exchange Webinar Series
About the Webinar Series
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), in partnership with the ME/CFS Research Network (MECFSnet), is launching the quarterly ME/CFS Exchange Webinar Series. The series will bring together researchers and experts from a range of disciplines to share insights, foster collaboration, and advance ME/CFS discovery.Webinar 1: Post-Acute Infection Symptoms
Date: October 8
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
About the Webinar
This webinar will focus on post-acute infection symptoms— what causes them and why they persist. Speakers will discuss these symptoms in relation to ME/CFS and share findings from basic research using model systems.
Moderator and Speaker: Anthony Komaroff, MD; Harvard Medical School
Speakers:
- Robert Dantzer, DVM, PhD; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Clifford Saper, MD, PhD; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
- Julie Williams, PhD; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Relevant Publications:
- Causes of symptoms and symptom persistence in long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
- A preoptic neuronal population controls fever and appetite during sickness
- Preoptic EP3R neurons constitute a two-way switch for fever and torpor
- The NFκB Dif is required for behavioral and molecular correlates of sleep homeostasis in Drosophila
Summary:
The webinar examined biological processes that may contribute to persistent symptoms in ME/CFS, Long COVID, and related post-infectious illnesses. Speakers discussed the potential roles of immune-brain signaling, neuroinflammation, and changes in energy metabolism in fatigue, brain fog, and prolonged recovery. They also explored how model systems could help researchers better understand these processes and identify possible treatment targets, while emphasizing the need to confirm the findings in people.
Grants that fund MECFSnet are managed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. This website was supported by a grant from NIH, grant #U24-NS-105535.
Website design and development by RTI International. RTI is a registered trademark and trade name of Research Triangle Institute. The RTI logo is a registered trademark of Research Triangle Institute.
What is ME/CFS?
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), is a multi-system disease that causes dysfunction of the neurological, immune, endocrine, and energy metabolism systems.
