![]() The good news: There are immediate and long-term strategies for decreasing cog fog or even just making it a bit more manageable.ĭoctors and patients can both feel frustrated at the lack of treatment options for the cognitive issues accompanying MS. “It’s very frustrating because I know I knew the answer, but it won’t come to me.” “It means I get forgetful over simple details, yet can still remember complex items,” she explains. And as an academic, she says that the brain fog is particularly awful. Olivia Djouadi, who has relapsing-remitting MS, says that her cognitive problems seem to occur more with extreme fatigue, which can stop her in her tracks. “Those who experience fatigue may find it more difficult to complete tasks later in the day, have a lower ability to withstand certain environments such as extreme heat, and struggle with sleep disorders or depression,” Mattson adds. On top of that, fatigue is also prevalent in people with MS, which can cause forgetfulness, lack of interest, and little energy. Mattson points out that no one MS lesion causes this, but cog fog seems more associated with an increased overall number of MS lesions in the brain. Some more common areas of life that are affected by cognitive changes include memory, attention and concentration, verbal fluency, and information processing. David Mattson, a neurologist at Indiana University Health. “As a result, can have cognitive issues that typically involve slowness of processing, trouble multitasking, and distractibility,” explains Dr. It also causes areas of inflammation and lesions in the brain. MS is a central nervous system disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. But it can make what used to be simple tasks - like shopping for groceries - pretty darn frustrating. ![]() Linder describes times when she’s unable to focus or concentrate on a task because her brain feels like it’s slush in thick mud.įortunately, she’s found that cardio exercise helps her blast through that stuck feeling.įor the most part, cognitive changes will be mild to moderate and won’t be so severe that you aren’t able to take care of yourself. ![]() “The sudden memory loss, disorientation, and mental sluggishness that can strike at any minute are not so fun,” she remarks. Lucie Linder was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2007 and says that cog fog has also been a significant issue for her. Both work, one is just slower,” Hepatica explains. It’s like sifting through an old-school card catalog instead of just Googling it. “For instance, if someone asks me a question about a particular detail from days or weeks before, I can’t always immediately pull it up. It just takes longer to access it,” she tells Healthline. Krysia Hepatica, an entrepreneur with MS, describes how her brain works differently now. Losing your train of thought mid-sentence, forgetting why you entered a room, or trying to remember a friend’s name are all possibilities when cog fog strikes. It’s also referred to as brain fog, changes in cognition, or cognitive impairment. MSers call this symptom “cog fog,” short for cognitive fog. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of people living with MS will develop cognitive issues like difficulty understanding conversations, thinking critically, or recalling memories. Cog fog, or MS-related brain fog, affects many people living with MS.
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