Post by beebs on Feb 5, 2012 7:32:05 GMT -5
Severe POTS result in brain fog, ie severe
cognitive dysfunction (CD). Add to this neurotoxicity,
and blood flow = challenging to have an intelligent
conversation, read and write!!
Disagree with research
below that cerebral blood flow does not affect cognition.
Indeed, strong evidence show cerebral blood flow malfunction,
ensues cognitive impairment, and confusion, as in eg. heart
failure and other. Similarly, CD with hypglycemia, although
mechanism differs - involves pathophysiology of glycoregulation
and hypoglycemia associated autonomic failure poorly understood.
A while ago, someone asked me where did the self assurance & confidence
come from. ;D How could I feel comfortable with myself in spite of the
severe cognitive dysfunction, autonomic failure, hypoglycemia, and neuro symptoms.
SIMPLE, why should I not?
Still have precious moments of clear, lucid, high level thinking now and then.
Pointless to compete with those unaffected, accept and work with limitations until reversion and healing. Blah, limitations from loss of a limb, visible, more acceptable than loss of cognitive function caused by ADRs.
Below one of many studies re: CFS & POTS
Summary and practical significance
The present study is the first to show that increasing
orthostatic stress impairs cognitive performance in
CFS/POTS subjects. The present study may have a
strong practical application to those with CFS/POTS.
Our results show that CFS/POTS subjects do not have
differences in intelligence, but rather experience cognitive
impairment mainly due to the effect of orthostatic stress,
especially during difficult tasks.
In addition, we show that the information processing
speed of CFS/POTS subjectsmay be affected by standing,
especially during difficult tasks. In school, CFS/POTS
subjects may require more time during testing, and
tasks to be done while standing will be more difficult.
During testing, an increased allotment of time may be
beneficial to the performance of CFS/POTS subjects.
Workplace arrangements that limit standing may improve
performance for individuals with CFS/POTS.
Additional work is necessary to determine whether
orthostatic stress and/or cognitive challenges have
detrimental effects in CFS subjects without POTS or
in POTS subjects without CFS. Although we would
speculate that, in CFS subjects without POTS, cognitive
challenges would correlate with decreased accuracy and
RT, we are unsure about the effect of orthostatic stress
on neurocognitive function in CFS subjects who are
orthostatically tolerant. We would also assume that, in
POTS subjects without CFS, increasing orthostatic stress
would result in decreased accuracy and RT.
Overall, orthostatic stress impaired the cognitive
abilities of CFS/POTS subjects compared with control
subjects who were not affected.Changes in cerebral blood
flow were not related to neurocognitive impairment.
Future work is necessary to link physiological changes
observed in CFS/POTS subjects with their cognitive
deficits.
FUNDING
This work was supported by the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute [grant numbers 1-F30-HL-097380
(to A.J.O.), 1-RO1-HL-074873 (to J.M.S.), 1-RO1-HL-
087803 (to J.M.S.)], and the Chronic Fatigue and Immune
Deficiency Syndrome Association of America (grant to
M.S.M.).