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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Using Fiberless, Wearable fNIRS to Monitor Brain Activity in Real-world Cognitive Tasks

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Published on: December 2, 2015

Brain fog.

Laura McWhirter¹

¹Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK laura.mcwhirter@ed.ac.uk.

Practical Neurology

|September 20, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Patients frequently use "brain fog" to describe diverse neurological symptoms. This paper clarifies common experiences and suggests diagnostic questioning for accurate clinical assessment.

Keywords:

COVID-19 chronic fatigue syndrome clinical neurology cognition neuropsychiatry

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Area of Science:

Neurology
Cognitive Science

Background:

The term 'brain fog' is increasingly prevalent in patient self-reporting within neurology clinics.
A common understanding of 'brain fog' among clinicians may not align with the diverse subjective experiences reported by patients.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the varied phenomena patients associate with the term 'brain fog'.
To provide guidance on effective questioning strategies for assessing 'brain fog' symptoms.
To discuss the clinical correlates of frequently reported 'brain fog' experiences.

Main Methods:

Qualitative analysis of patient-reported symptoms described as 'brain fog'.
Review of clinical literature and case studies related to cognitive dysfunction.
Development of a structured questioning framework for neurological consultations.

Main Results:

'Brain fog' encompasses a spectrum of subjective symptoms, not a single defined entity.
Specific questioning can differentiate between various underlying causes and patient concerns.
Identified common clinical correlates associated with distinct 'brain fog' presentations.

Conclusions:

Clinicians should adopt nuanced approaches to understand patient-reported 'brain fog'.
Targeted questioning is essential for accurate diagnosis and management of cognitive complaints.
Further research is needed to establish standardized diagnostic criteria for 'brain fog'.