Study detects 'chemobrain' in EEG activity

A Cleveland Clinic study has detected significant changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) brain activity patterns of patients receiving chemotherapy.

The study may give scientific evidence of a condition commonly referred to as "chemobrain" – the fogginess that many patients experience while on chemotherapy. Patients with chemobrain often report short-term memory problems and difficulty concentrating.

"The EEG study demonstrated a higher amplitude, or more brain activity in women, during chemotherapy that particularly went up after doing a cognitive task and also after doing a physical task," said Halle Moore, M.D., a staff physician in Cleveland Clinic's solid tumor oncology unit.

The year-long study involved eight pairs of patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer.