The National Institutes of Health are supporting an ongoing sleep study by the UMDNJ Pain and Fatigue Study Center to further investigate the clinical nature of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The study will require some 80 female volunteers in the New York/New Jersey area for a successful outcome. The researchers hope that their work will lead to better understanding of this often disabling illness.

The research team, led by Benjamin Natelson, MD, a professor of neurosciences at New Jersey Medical School, theorizes that the cause of CFS may be linked to a type of substance in the blood called cytokines, which are related to immune function and which can specifically affect feelings of alertness. Dr. Natelson hypothesizes that cytokines may be malfunctioning in people with CFS - for example, those cytokines that in healthy people would cause them to become tired at night and awake during the day may make those with CFS sleepy during the day and "wired" at night.

A successful outcome could lead to therapies that could "rebalance" patients' immune systems. Because about three of every four cases of CFS affect women - and because cytokine levels are also affected by gender - the study is only seeking women volunteers at this time. Researchers would like to study a mix of women diagnosed with CFS and women who are healthy, but lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. (Vigorous exercise also affects cytokine levels.) Finding healthy women to volunteer for this study is critical, so the researchers have a proper basis for comparison.

Volunteers will be asked to sleep in a research lab at The University Hospital in Newark on three to four nights, to be completed over a few months. Volunteers will be compensated for their time, depending on the circumstances of their medical history, and will also receive a travel allowance. All medical treatment will be free.

Researchers want to emphasize the painful and very real nature of CFS, which has produced many misconceptions in the popular media. CFS is only rarely related to viruses, such as the Epstein-Barr virus. However, it is strongly correlated with conditions such fibromyalgia, involving pain throughout the body. Fibromyalgia, like CFS, can be treated but presently has no cure.

"People are really disabled by these conditions - people who previously had been healthy, capable, high-functioning individuals," said Dr. Natelson.

If you or a family member may be interested in participating in the study, please contact FitzGibbons at (973) 972-4800 or at fitzgijd@umdnj.edu .

Click here to watch a news story on the sleep study. PC version or iPod version

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