Cognitive Dysfunction

Atrophy of the thalamus is an important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis (MS) investigators at the University at Buffalo and international partners is providing powerful new evidence that the brain's gray matter reflects important ...

Neuroscience created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Statin drug shows promise for fighting malaria effects

Researchers have discovered that adding lovastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, to traditional antimalarial treatment decreases neuroinflammation and protects against cognitive impairment in a mouse model of ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Dec 27, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Many causes for learning lags in tumor disorder

(Medical Xpress)—The causes of learning problems associated with an inherited brain tumor disorder are much more complex than scientists had anticipated, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine ...

Neuroscience created Dec 21, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rituximab shows promise for clinical problems tied to antiphospholipid antibodies

Rituximab, a drug used to treat cancer and arthritis, may help patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) who suffer from aPL-related clinical problems that do not respond to anticoagulation, such as cardiac disease ...

Arthritis & Rheumatism created Nov 20, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Are schizophrenia and autism close relations?

(Medical Xpress)—Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a category that includes autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, are characterized by difficulty with social interaction and communication, or repetitive ...

Autism spectrum disorders created Oct 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rare genetic disorder points to molecules that may play role in schizophrenia

Scientists studying a rare genetic disorder have identified a molecular pathway that may play a role in schizophrenia, according to new research in the October 10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may on ...

Genetics created Oct 09, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Computer modeling shows how medications play a part in the Parkinson's experience

(Medical Xpress)—A University of Western Sydney researcher has developed a new computational model, which will improve our understanding of how Parkinson's disease (PD) medications affect the brain and cognition.

Parkinson's & Movement disorders created Sep 11, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers identify potential treatment for cognitive effects of stress-related disorders

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a potential medical treatment for the cognitive effects of stress-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, conducted ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Aug 30, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Mild cognitive decline in nearly half lacunar stroke patients

(HealthDay)—Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is present in nearly half of patients with lacunar stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Annals of Neurology.

Neuroscience created Aug 27, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Stroke caregivers are at risk for depression

Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for developing depression and complications from chronic stress, according to a study published by researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jul 20, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers link two biological risk factors for schizophrenia

(Medical Xpress) -- Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered a cause-and-effect relationship between two well-established biological risk factors for schizophrenia previously believed to be independent of one another.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jul 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment

Older patients undergoing cardiac surgery often experience changes in cognitive function, such as memory problems or an inability to focus, in the days immediately following their operations. While these changes are usually ...

Cardiology created Jul 04, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Preventing or better managing diabetes may prevent cognitive decline, study says

Preventing diabetes or delaying its onset has been thought to stave off cognitive decline -- a connection strongly supported by the results of a 9-year study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco ...

Diabetes created Jun 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Alcohol intake in the elderly affects risk of cognitive decline and dementia

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia are most common in the very elderly, and are associated with huge health costs. With a rapidly ageing population throughout the world, factors that affect the risk of cognitive ...

Health created May 22, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists identify mechanism that could contribute to problems in Alzheimer's

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have unraveled a process by which depletion of a specific protein in the brain contributes to the memory problems associated with Alzheimer's disease. These findings provide new insights ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Apr 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Clouding of consciousness, also known as mental fog , is an abnormality in consciousness. The sufferer experiences a subjective sensation of mental clouding described as feeling "foggy" being in a "dreamy state" or feeling "out of it". Pathophysiologically, it is believed to be a manifestation of an abnormality in the regulation of the “overall level” of cortical function, referred to by neurologists as “arousal”. Thus, some authors prefer the more objective term “abnormal level” of consciousness over the subjective term “clouding” of consciousness. In the 1817 German treatise Verdunkelung des Bewusstseins, Greiner first coined and pioneered the term clouding of consciousness as the main pathophysiological feature of delirium. It is poorly recognized and poorly researched by conventional doctors, who tend to mislabel it or “psychologize” it. Alternative medicine practitioners popularly use the term “brain fog”; however there is no mention as to whether they intend the term to be synonymous with the conventional medicine term clouding of consciousness.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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