![]() "Those sorts of things we see a lot, and that's really why we worry about cognitive function. Those impacts might show up as new difficulties keeping track of tasks at work, forgetting to take medication, trouble managing finances or issues while driving, Jackson said. There's no hard rule here, but if you've been dealing with mild cognitive symptoms for a few months, Jackson said it's time to check in with your doctor.īut if your symptoms are noticeably impacting your life, you shouldn't wait to speak to a medical professional. The researchers found that after a mild case of COVID-19, a type of human immune cell in the brain called microglia became activated and stayed more reactive even weeks later. So, having underlying conditions (like heart disease, hypertension or diabetes) as well as poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can all contribute to your overall risk for cognitive issues due to COVID-19 or other causes, she explained. The compounds were found in both the blood and the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. So Becker's team is currently working on a study that compares people who did and didn't get COVID-19 during the same time period to help tease out the specific cognitive effects of the virus on its own.Īpart from that, "the other risk factors for having cognitive impairments still apply," Becker said. Brain fog can also occur following chemotherapy or a concussion. Of course, the chronic stress of the pandemic e xacerbated or triggered mental health issues in many people. Brain fog, a term used to describe slow or sluggish thinking, can occur under many different circumstances for example, when someone is sleep-deprived or feeling unwell, or due to side effects from medicines that cause drowsiness. He recounted stories of people taking medication multiple times a day because they'd forgotten they had already taken it, of people getting out of their car while it's still in drive and of a woman who mistakenly introduced herself to a close friend of 15 years as if they'd never met. Post-COVID cognitive issues can cause real issues in people's lives, Jackson said. How severe are post-COVID cognitive symptoms? "Our patients feel like they're working twice as hard, cognitively or otherwise, for half as much," said Jackson, who is also the lead psychologist at Vanderbilt’s Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center. Or it might seem like it takes more effort than usual to complete those tasks. Treatment with medication may improve some brain fog symptoms but some medications may actually worsen mental fatigue. Although patients may not necessarily be able to pinpoint that they have an issue with memory or attention, "they just feel like they are in a fog and something is different." They might not feel as sharp or like they are as able to do their usual tasks, she said. ADHD can also cause sleep disturbances that make brain fog worse. These symptoms may amount to what we colloquially refer to as "brain fog," Becker said.
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