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Twisk apr 2010 Plausible explanations for neurocognitive deficits in ME/CFS

leelaplay

member
Messages
1,576
Letter to the Editor: Plausible explanations for neurocognitive deficits in ME/CFS, aggravation of neurocognitive impairment induced by exertion.

Author(s) Twisk FN, Arnoldus RJ, Maes M
Institution Zonnedauw 15, 1906 HB Limmen, The Netherlands.
Source Psychol Med 2010 Apr 12.:1-2.
Language ENG
Pub Type(s) JOURNAL ARTICLE
PubMed ID 20380780

[if: Another Twisk publication. I'd like to read it when copy-right makes it available. So far this is all I can get (0 at pubmed). Cambridge Univ Press publishes the journal.
 

MEKoan

Senior Member
Messages
2,630
I do hope someone has access to this, If!

I would really love a plausible explanation for my thinker!

thanks you!
 

dancer

Senior Member
Messages
298
Location
Midwest, USA
The cognitive loss has been THE MOST distressing aspect of this illness for me. Not just "smarts" but I've lost creativity, the ability to imagine, etc. I have better access to some "left brain" function, but feel like "right brain" is cut off from me somehow. Makes me so sad.
 

HopingSince88

Senior Member
Messages
335
Location
Maine
helsbells -(my Mom used to use your moniker all the time when I was young. It was her way of cursing. LOL) - I am with you on the cognitive aspect being the most difficult to adapt to. I sometimes wonder if XMRV is attaching itself to the IQ genes LOL Is there such a thing?

dancer - you are so right about the 'right brain' loss. It makes me sad and angry about the collective loss of what might have been created by all our right brains that have been dislodged for all these years.
 

dancer

Senior Member
Messages
298
Location
Midwest, USA
HopingSince88, at least I've had flickers of improvement at times, which gives me hope that if the underlying cause can be found and treated, that it might come back one day. No great scientific knowledge to back up that hope...just my hope. :)
 
G

Gerwyn

Guest
The cognitive loss has been THE MOST distressing aspect of this illness for me. Not just "smarts" but I've lost creativity, the ability to imagine, etc. I have better access to some "left brain" function, but feel like "right brain" is cut off from me somehow. Makes me so sad.

I lost both sides.My left side is almost as good as it was but differentabilities.My right side is trickeling through although my emotions are flatter I can now feel the feelings that I lost concious arareness of and feel bodily sensations again
 

dancer

Senior Member
Messages
298
Location
Midwest, USA
Thanks, Gerwyn,
It's so encouraging to hear from others that at least some (or different) brain function returns.

For months I tried "pushing" my brain...trying to write, (my former job), inwardly yelling at myself to focus...and it seemed to just make things worse (kind of like pushing myself physically makes things worse).

So I'm trying to now be gentle with my brain and relax, trusting it will find new connections and start working again in its time. I'm also choosing things my brain finds FUN ... been teaching myself classical guitar (music seems like something that may be good for my brain) and playing computer word games (but not to the point of frustration).

I just keep longing for true answers and treatments instead of just "coping and waiting" strategies. :)
 

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
I just finished a book called "My stroke of insight" about a person who lost almost all left brain function for awhile because of a stroke. Based on her description it made me feel that I'd lost alot of right brain functioning; mind chattering on and on, few feelings of peace and connectedness - it was a very interesting book. She was very avid about pushing the mind in the right direction; ie keeping left brain functioning intact but opening up right brain capabilities more. It made sense to me.
 
G

Gerwyn

Guest
Thanks, Gerwyn,
It's so encouraging to hear from others that at least some (or different) brain function returns.

For months I tried "pushing" my brain...trying to write, (my former job), inwardly yelling at myself to focus...and it seemed to just make things worse (kind of like pushing myself physically makes things worse).

So I'm trying to now be gentle with my brain and relax, trusting it will find new connections and start working again in its time. I'm also choosing things my brain finds FUN ... been teaching myself classical guitar (music seems like something that may be good for my brain) and playing computer word games (but not to the point of frustration).

I just keep longing for true answers and treatments instead of just "coping and waiting" strategies. :)

Anything that stimulates the integrative functions of the brain.Telling stories,listening to stories,simple quizzes music radio plays.The mind is a self organising system based on neural plasticity.It will come
 

dancer

Senior Member
Messages
298
Location
Midwest, USA
Cort, sounds like a good book. I think I saw an interview with her awhile back. Didn't her family help her kind of re-grow brain connections by supporting her in sort of an "infant stage" and then gentle progression from there? (Or perhaps that was a differnt stroke-recovery story I heard)

Gerwyn, thanks for the encouragement. Neural plasticity is my new rallying cry. :)
 

gracenote

All shall be well . . .
Messages
1,537
Location
Santa Rosa, CA
I just finished a book called "My stroke of insight" about a person who lost almost all left brain function for awhile because of a stroke. Based on her description it made me feel that I'd lost alot of right brain functioning; mind chattering on and on, few feelings of peace and connectedness - it was a very interesting book. She was very avid about pushing the mind in the right direction; ie keeping left brain functioning intact but opening up right brain capabilities more. It made sense to me.

Here is her talk on TED:

Jill Bolte Taylor's talk on TED.com