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1) 🧬 We did a new genetic analysis using DecodeME. We leveraged a database on chromatin openness in the human brain. More openness means DNA is accessible and potentially active in various cell types. The graph below shows the results for ME/CFS and various other diseases.

ME/CFS Science

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2) The data comes from a landmark paper by Li et al. "A comparative atlas of single-cell chromatin accessibility in the human brain." It uses single-cell ATAC sequencing to show where DNA is accessible in various cells in the brain.

12/10/26, 7:29 am1 repost9 likes

ME/CFS Science

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3) DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones, forming a structure known as chromatin. ATAC sequencing allows scientists to measure where the chromatin is open and where gene expression is likely taking place for each disease.

ME/CFS Science

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4) This atlas is from only 3 donors but includes 1.1 million cells from multiple brain regions. The study grouped all these cells into 107 cell types that form 42 subclasses. The authors already tested 19 diseases, we added ME/CFS genetic data as well.

ME/CFS Science

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5) In the graph, each dot represents the results for one of the 107 cell types, while the shaded regions indicate the transition to another subclass. Like many brain traits, ME/CFS showed significant results for glutamatergic neurons such as projecting neurons from the cortex.

ME/CFS Science

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6) But there's also a second, weaker signal that points to medium spiny neurons (MSM) in the basal ganglia. This aligns with earlier analyses we did on RNA (gene expression) where MSM were among the top cell types associated with ME/CFS 👇

mecfsscience.orgCell and tissue enrichment in ME/CFS - ME/CFS ScienceBy matching DNA results with gene expression databases researchers can determine the tissues and cellContinue readingCell and tissue enrichment in ME/CFS