Depression, anxiety, stressful life events, and chronic stress cause neural degeneration and volume loss in the hippocampus, an area of the brain essential for learning and memory.įatigue is associated with attention difficulties and memory complaints in cancer survivors. Certainly, being diagnosed with cancer is stressful, and cancer treatment presents additional ongoing stressors. Psychological distress is a well-known cause of cognitive impairment.
Many drugs used for cancer treatment can cause anemia, a risk factor for cognitive loss in older adults. Other drugs that may affect cognitive function include hormonal treatments that reduce levels of estrogen or testosterone, drugs given to reduce anxiety, and corticosteroids. These changes can reduce mental acuity, memory, and processing speed. Circulating peripheral cytokines signal cytokine release in the central nervous system, causing structural and functional changes in areas of the brain that support cognitive function. Cancer and many chemotherapeutic agents trigger the release of cytokines, proteins that signal the immune system and cause inflammation. Inflammation is one potential cause of cancer-related cognitive change. Results of studies examining these factors are mixed, and no definitive large-scale studies have been completed. It’s important to remember that all of these are potential causes of cancer brain fog.
Fatigue, depression, or feeling stressed or anxious can also affect cognitive function. Cancer and the drugs used during the course of treating cancer can affect the balance of chemicals and hormones in the brain and contribute to cognitive loss. The issue is complicated because many factors can affect cognitive function. The causes of cancer-related cognitive changes are unclear. Because cognition is fundamental to navigating life, communicating with others, and completing tasks, even subtle changes in cognitive abilities can interfere with everyday function. These deficits may not be noticeable to others, but they weigh heavily on the survivor and are a source of frustration and embarrassment. But for most survivors with cognitive loss, the impairment is mild and transient. Some of these survivors have clinically significant cognitive impairment that persists months or years after treatment. Many survivors experience a sense of cognitive loss, as if the brain is in a fog.Īpproximately 20 to 50 percent of survivors are affected by cognitive loss. Symptoms of cognitive loss often occur before cancer treatment begins and can affect people who are treated with surgery, radiation, and hormonal therapy, as well as those who undergo a course of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Complex tasks, like planning or organizing activities, can be especially challenging for survivors with cognitive symptoms, and multitasking may seem impossible.Īlthough cancer-related cognitive changes are sometimes called chemo brain or chemo fog, these terms are misleading. Problems with memory and concentration are the most common cognitive complaints, and some people report difficulties following directions, finding the right words, or performing simple calculations. What is cancer brain fog?įollowing a cancer diagnosis, many survivors experience a sense of cognitive loss – the feeling that one’s mental abilities are slower and less acute than before – as if the brain is in a fog. Brain changes that affect a person’s cognitive identity – the thinking, capable, intelligent self – can be especially troubling. doi:10.What Causes It and What You Can Do About ItĬancer survivors face a number of physical, mental, and psychosocial challenges that diminish quality of life and alter one’s sense of self. Stress level, parasite load, and movement pattern in a small-mammal reservoir host for Lyme disease. Issues in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
The psychoimmunology of Lyme/tick-borne diseases and its association with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Inflammatory leptomeningeal cytokines mediate COVID-19 neurologic symptoms in cancer patients.
CANCER AND LYME DISEASE BRAIN FOG TREATMENT GENERATOR
Central sensitization: A generator of pain hypersensitivity by central neural plasticity.
Posttreatment Lyme disease syndromes: Distinct pathogenesis caused by maladaptive host responses. Caught in the thickness of brain fog: Exploring the cognitive symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Lyme disease.Ĭenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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