What happens in the brain of ME/CFS patients, Wakiro Sato? (Interview 2025)

Dr Wakiro Sato is an adjunct scientist at the National Institute of Neuroscience's Department of Immunology at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in Tokyo, Japan. Dr Sato majored in internal medicine and neurology at Kobe City Central Citizen Hospital. After becoming a neurologist, he began researching multiple sclerosis at the Immune Research Department of the National Institute of Neurology of the National Center for Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences. Dr Sato obtained a doctorate in medicine by analyzing lymphocytes related to pathology, and in particular by conducting research on chemokine receptors in T cells. He was a post-doctoral fellow with the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology's Department of Neuroimmunology in Munich, Germany. Since 2023, he serves as the Chief of Section of research and development strategy at the Translational Medical Center at NCNP. Dr Sato's work on ME/CFS centres on the investigation of brain abnormalities and alterations in relation to autoimmunity, in an effort to uncover the potential immunopathogenesis in ME/CFS patients.

In the video, he answers the following questions:

• What is the significance of objectively measuring brain changes for recognising ME/CFS as a serious biological disease?

• Can you tell us a little more about your special imaging technique?

• Are there similarities in the patterns of neuroinflammation between ME/CFS and other neurological diseases you research?

• Are there any similarities to different neurological diseases, such as Multiple sclerosis?

• What are the next steps in neuroimaging research to further understand the role of the brain in ME/CFS and identify potential therapeutic targets?