Cognitive dysfunction (brain fog)

Cognitive dysfunctionThe loss of intellectual functions such as reasoning; memory loss; and other neurological abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. (also known as brain fogThe loss of intellectual functions such as reasoning; memory loss; and other neurological abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily functioning.) is the loss of intellectual functions such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning of sufficient severity to interfere with daily functioning. Patients with cognitive dysfunction have trouble with verbal recall, basic arithmetic, and concentration.

According to the Marshall PathogenesisA description for how chronic inflammatory diseases originate and develop., cognitive dysfunction is caused by microbes. More severe forms of cognitive dysfunction are seen in diseases such as Alzheimer's, diseases for which there is strong evidence of a bacterial etiology. Often associated with chronic fatigue syndrome,¹⁾ cognitive dysfunction is also seen in patients with multiple sclerosis,²⁾ depression,³⁾ fibromyalgia,⁴⁾ and dozens of others diseases.

Like all symptoms of inflammatory disease, cognitive dysfunction may temporarily increase during periods of immunopathology. Cognitive dysfunction can be managed using the generic strategies for managing immunopathology, and should resolve over the course of the Marshall Protocol (MP).

Some studies seem to suggest that sick women experience cognitive dysfunction more frequently and more severely than their male counterparts.^{5) 6)}

If symptoms are debilitating, consider decreasing the doses of antibiotics. Note that stopping one's antibiotics may make symptoms worse for at least a certain length of time.

The systematic use of stimulants such as modafinil (Provigil) to manage symptoms of fatigue or cognitive dysfunction is not recommended.

• cognitive and functional decline often follow severe sepsis – The researchers focused their attention on 516 individuals who survived hospitalization for severe sepsis and 4517 who survived a nonsepsis hospitalization. The average age of survivors at hospitalization was 76.9 years. Following severe sepsis hospitalization, but not nonsepsis general hospitalization, there was a significant increase in the odds of developing both cognitive and physical dysfunction that persisted throughout the 8-year follow-up period, the researchers report.⁷⁾
• aging immune cells in animal models – The decline in brain function associated with disease and old age could be due to the decline in the function of immune cells, which is likely caused by infection. As described in New Scientist, prompted by studies suggesting immune responses can help repair the nervous system, Jonathan Kipnis and colleagues at the University of Virginia created mice that lack CD4 cells, a kind of T-cell. They found the mice performed extremely poorly in tasks involving learning and memory, but when they were injected with CD4 cells from healthy mice, their memories improved.⁸⁾ Similarly, when he killed CD4 cells in healthy mice, their memory declined. Further animal studies by Kipnis and others show that learning new tasks triggers a mild stress response within the brain, which prompts CD4 cells to rally to the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain. Here, they release IL-4, which both switches off the stress response and tells brain cells called astrocytes to release brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that enhances learning.⁹⁾ Whether these animal studies are relevant to human learning and memory remains unclear, but there is some indirect evidence to support it. For example, many chemotherapy drugs suppress the immune system, which might explain why some people with cancer develop “chemobrain” - a term used to describe the cognitive problems and memory loss associated with chemotherapy. Sluggish immune cells might also explain why our brains slow down as we age. “The number one cell affected by ageing is the T-cell,” says Kipnis. “I'm not saying it's the only factor leading to age-related dementia, but it could definitely be one of them.”

In my 20s, I started 'losing the nouns' although I could describe the thing I could not name. Then, I started mixing up 3s with 8s and Es with Is when typing or using a calculator. And my reading speed slowed even more and I noticed that I was transposing not only letters but also words…. When considering a legal issue [Claire was a corporate attorney], it was like I was standing at the edge of a vast city neighborhood that I used to know like the back of my hand. “Before I lost my ability to problem solve, I could see in my mind’s eye many ways to get from one side of the neighborhood. After that skill slipped away, I would stand there helplessly on the edge of the neighborhood while remembering that I used to know the way. Making any decision became increasingly difficult…. Sometimes when people are talking, it is as if with some words they are speaking in a foreign language. I hear the words, but they don’t make sense. If feels like a form of age-related deafness, having to do with the inability to comprehend due to the loss of stereophonic sound (if that’s what it is called–I really can’t remember), but seems to be mainly word specific.

Claire, Marshallprotocol.com

On the MP, my brain has been steadily healing over the past 26 months. My parents (academics) see me every 6 months or so and are able to describe the changes for me, which is great. I can read books again, although if they’re too intense or convoluted, it takes me time to understand them fully. My reasoning abilities are far improved as well, my math skills have returned (although I’m not sure I could teach it now), word recall is far better and I find myself at times uttering words I haven’t used for years.

Alayne, Marshallprotocol.com

After 18 months I find my memory returning, I am able to do housework, organise and tidy up. DH who thought I should be with a psychiatrist, not a GP, is apparently changing his mind about MP and suggests his daughter could see my doctor!

Sallie Q, CureMyTh1.org

Because most my problems are mentally based it is hard for me to recognize improvement at times but I can tell when I'm better when things just seem easier to me, like I'll be thinking about something and realize, “Hey, that's not so hard after all.”

Jimmy_jimjim, MarshallProtocol.com

After two years on the MP, I would say that any episodes of brainfog that I have are comparable to the occasional “vagueness” that any normal person has.

Vicki SA, MarshallProtocol.com