Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT
Myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disease that often severely impacts the social and professional lives of those affected. Most patients experience central nervous system dysfunction, including cognitive impairment, symptoms of severe physical and mental fatigue, headaches or hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli. The exact causes of ME/CFS are still unknown, which limits clinical treatment options.
The Sleep-Neuro-Path consortium aims to better understand the relationships between various bodily reactions and disease symptoms in patients in order to support the development of effective therapies. The activity of specific neuronal networks during sleep can serve as a “window into brain function”. For this reason, the experts are investigating neurophysiological sleep characteristics of ME/CFS patients using electroencephalography (EEG).
The project plans to link sleep-related characteristics with physical symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction and fatigue and to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. For this purpose, mechanisms affecting the blood vessel system and the cellular energy metabolism of nerve cells will be characterized using multimodal imaging and blood-based biomarkers. Subsequently, they will be examined in relation to sleep-related and cognitive characteristics.
In particular, biomarkers of neuronal networks involved in cognitive function and central autonomic homeostasis, the balance of the organism, are considered important aspects of ME/CFS in the research project.
Contribution of the Fraunhofer IDMT to the project
The researchers from the “Mobile Neurotechnologies” group at the Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg are contributing their expertise in mobile sleep analysis for severely affected adolescent patients. Sleep measurements are being carried out in the home environment of this otherwise rarely depicted age group.
In the project, a sensor system developed by the Fraunhofer IDMT for mobile EEG recording is used to derive a multi-channel EEG with the least possible burden on the patients. In addition, the researchers are responsible for analyzing the EEG data.
Further information on the BMBF website:
(The page is only available in German) SLEEP-NEURO-PATH - Beitrag schlafbezogener Biomarker zur Pathophysiologie von ME/CFS - Gesundheitsforschung BMBF
(The page is only available in German) Mobile Schlafuntersuchungen bei jugendlichen Betroffenen - Gesundheitsforschung BMBF