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Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between complex brain networks in people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and neurocognitive impairment. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) recordings were taken from 14 people with CFS and 15 healthy controls (HCs) during an eye-closed resting condition. Exact low resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) was used to estimate cortical sources and perform a functional connectivity analysis. The graph theory approach was used to characterize network representations for each participant and derive the “small-worldness” index, a measure of the overall homeostatic balance between local and long-distance connectedness. Results showed that small-worldness for the delta band was significantly lower for patients with CFS compared to HCs. In addition, delta small-worldness was negatively associated with neurocognitive impairment scores on the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ). Finally, delta small-worldness indicated a greater risk of complex brain network inefficiency for the CFS group. These results suggest that CFS pathology may be functionally disruptive to small-world networks. In turn, small-world characteristics might serve as a neurophysiological indicator for confirming a biological basis of cognitive symptoms, treatment outcome, and neurophysiological status of people with CFS. Author Biographies Mark Alan Zinn, DePaul University Mark Zinn is pursuing a Ph.D. in Community Psychology at DePaul University.  He specializes in using novel research methods to explore the neural substrates underlying cognition which include quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and tomographic EEG inverse solutions. He is currently using qEEG to analyze to characterize neuronal dysregulation in people with chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis. In this manner, exploring the linkage between subtle changes in brain state and specific neuroanatomical regions involved may help elucidate facets within cognitive impairment domains (memory, information processing speed, attention, etc.). Findings may also be implicated in neurocognitive impairments commonly seen in patients diagnosed with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Mark is currently working to trace those neurological underpinnings with overarching goal of finding new objective, reliable methods which can practically be used to evaluate disease prognosis and treatment outcomes in clinical settings. Marcie L Zinn, DePaul University Dr. Marcie Zinn directs the Cognitive Systems Neuroscience lab in the Center for Community Research at DePaul University, Chicago. Dr. Zinn’s multidisciplinary expertise spans data science, psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology, allowing her to integrate seemingly disparate ideas into novel models. She is especially interested in infectious and rare diseases. She studies both neurologically healthy and diseased individuals using functional and structural network science to characterize disturbances which impact cognition, movement, learning, sensory systems, speech and sleep in neurological disorders. The methods used allow matching the magnitude and nature of patient complaints to functional systems in the brain to understand how these functions appear in real life. The Zinn’s body of research will continue to lead to novel discoveries in brain science of infectious diseases, thereby vastly improving the quality of life of the affected individuals and their families.

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