After a busy week of more tests (yay), I was finally able to get back to some of the research I've been conducting here at the university. So far, I haven't gotten myself into a laboratory; it's mostly analytical research and having people fill out surveys. However, I still find it very fascinating and I would love to share with y'all the kinds of things that interest me within the field of Neuroscience and Cognitive Science!
One project that I've been working on for a year now is on these things call brain fogs, or fibro fogs. They're relatively common symptom found in people with chronic pain diseases, namely fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. I was inspired to begin this project when my roommate brought these up to me, because she happens to have spondyloarthropathy, and experiences brain fogs on a regular basis. Knowing I was a NSCS major, she thought I might know something about them that she didn't already know.
Of course I had no idea what she was talking about at the time......but I REALLY wanted to know. So, I started a case study on her. I did a series of interviews with her, took down all the medications she takes on a daily basis, took note of her most recent brain fogs, and postulated questions from there.
Here's what I know so far: brain fogs are basically a transient incapacitation of the brain. They can come in different strengths, with the most mild brain fogs being just sudden confusion, to the strongest being 20-30 minute spans of straight up amnesia. Every time my roommate has one, she experiences post-headaches that vary in strength depending on how bad the brain fog is. The medication Tramadol seems to increase the frequency and strength of brains fogs, at least in the case of my roommate that is. There is also a definitive correlation between lack of sleep and frequency of brain fogs. Looking at the evidence I have gathered, I'm looking to test the hypothesis that the mechanism of brain fogs is similar to that of absence seizures. If there is a connection between these two conditions, there may be a way to effectively treat brain fogs.
To assess and analyze my hypothesis, I'm in the middle of handing a lengthy survey to other young adults with rheumatoid arthritis, with various questions about the frequency and strength of their brain fogs, as well as medication they take and the presence of headaches post-fog.
While I'm on this topic, if any of you guys happen to know someone with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, please refer them to this site if you could! The more surveys I take, the more data I can gather and the clearer a line of correlation (or lack thereof) can be seen.
I have one other project I'm working on in regard to eating disorders, but that's one that I'm barely beginning. I will most definitely be posting updates about that one as well though!
Happy Wednesday, and keep fighting for your dreams! You deserve every ounce of success that comes to you.
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