ME and Cognition

[maccarac]

I have terrible cognition effects due to ME. They have plagued me from the start. Reading is incredibly difficult, trying to process and remember information is challenging. I'm a trilingual ex language teacher, was a prolific reader and used to having a flexible, well working brain.

I was wondering what advice anyone could give on how to help these particular symptoms. I do try and pace in this area too but I may not being doing it to the best of my ability. Any other advice would be very appreciated.

[Dr Charles Shepherd]

We have already covered possible causes and management of cognitive dysfunction (problems with short term memory, concentration, information processing, word find ability etc) in a previous posting - you should be able to find it

In summary:

Cognitive dysfunction (CD) is a very characteristic feature of ME/CFS and the disability it causes can range from mild to severe

We do not know what causes CD in ME/CFS but one plausible explanation is that it is related to autonomic nervous system dysfunction (part of the nervous system that controls heart rate, blood pressure etc) and that this may result in decreased blood flow to key parts of the brain that are involved with mental activity.

There are no simple solutions - drugs, supplements - to managing this aspect of ME/CFS but practical self-help measures can be very useful

The MEA has an information sheet covering both causation and management

MEA website and pdf literature order form: http://www.meassociation.org.uk

[maccarac]

Thank you for your reply Dr Shepperd.