NEW FEDERALLY FUNDED GRANT TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE CFS: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is diagnosed based on a patient's symptoms, and different definitions for the illness exist around the world. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is researching whether a definition of CFS can be developed that suits most types of patients. To do this, patients will have a diagnostic evaluation, complete questionnaires, and answer questions about family history of illness and the effect of the illness on function, mood, and other abilities. The Pain & Fatigue Study Center at Beth Israel Medical Center will be one of four centers working on this project, headed on-site by Dr. Benjamin Natelson.

We hope to explore how well the current process for diagnosing CFS works across our nation, and patients can participate without changing their current treatment. There will no costs for participating, and a modest stipend will be given. If you would like to know more, please complete a standard of care Health Screen Form and return it to Dr. Natelson. To get the form, please CLICK HERE, complete it, and send it in. Please use dark ink so that it is legible.

NEW FEDERALLY FUNDED GRANT: A Brain Problem is the Cause of CFS for some Patients. For the past 12 years, Dr. Natelson and his colleague have been doing one study at a time looking at the brain as the cause of CFS. Very importantly, the group has found that some CFS patients have abnormal spinal fluid, problems doing neuro-psychological tests of cognitive function, and abnormal brain imaging studies. Dr. Natelson's group has been approved to do all these studies on the same patients. If Dr. Natelson and his colleagues find that some patients have abnormalities on all of these brain-related dimensions, that will mean that a brain problem is the cause of CFS for those patients. That will made a giant step forward in understanding the cause of CFS – at least for these patients. Finding the cause is step #1 toward developing new treatments. To allow us to move ahead, we are looking for CFS patients who either are on no brain-active medicines or are willing to come off these medicines with guidance from their doctor for a 2 week period. The research consists of neuropsychological testing, brain imaging at the Cornell Imaging Center on 71^st St., and lumbar puncture. If you are interested in participating in any or all of these studies, please CLICK HERE to get the Health Screen Form, complete it, and send it in. Please use dark ink so that it is legible.

STUDY ON BRAIN FOG AND ABNORMAL BRAIN CHEMISTRY IN FIBROMYALGIA. FM patients often complain of brain fog, and Dr. Natelson and a group at Cornell-Weil Medical College have recently found an abnormality in brain chemistry in some CFS and FM patients. This abnormality may be important in providing doctors a test for diagnosing CFS or FM, and so the researchers are continuing their studies of this "biomarker of disease." The idea of this study is that a drug called Milnacipran, FDA approved to treat the pain of FM, will improve brain fog and will reduce the levels of the brain chemical abnormality. Subjects in this study will come into the center for a free medical evaluation to determine if the have FM. They will then fill out some questionaires, do a 20-minute test for brain fog and undergo brain MR imaging. Afterwards, subjects will either receive Milnacipran or a placebo (inactive substance) for 8 weeks. Having some patients take placebo lets the researchers figure out the role of the drug. At the end, testing will be repeated to learn the effects of the drug on improving FM. To become involved in this study, the researchers need to know more about you and your illness which you can provide via a Health Screen Form. To provide that information, CLICK HERE to get the Health Screen Form. Download it, complete it and FAX it in. Please use dark inki so that it is legible. We will call you right back to speak with you about participating. Volunteers will be compensated for their time. With your participation, knowledge about CFS and FM will move ahead.

If you have questions, call the Pain & Fatigue Study Center research staff at: 212-844-6747.