We all experience brain fog and decreased concentration from time to time and for some it can feel like early stages of mental deterioration. It is well documented that 50% of the information presented to people is forgotten one hour later. Similarly, the average attention span has dropped from 32 to 20 minutes over the past 20 years as a result of our fast-paced, information-bombarded lifestyles. But when is poor memory and decreased mental ability a concern? Is it the result of age-related chronic stress and inflammation, or is it something more sinister like dementia or Alzheimer’s? Making this distinction and designing an appropriate treatment protocol formerly relied on clinical evaluation of symptoms and examination. However, over the past few years, the introduction of genetic analysis has allowed for an in- depth, individualized assessment of neural, hormonal and inflammatory risk factors, vital to managing this condition.

There is a great deal of overlap between the many causes of “brain fog” and the pathology of dementia including hormonal dysfunction, chronic stress, lack of sleep, inflammation, and aging. However, the main differentiating factors are alterations in neural tissue, the degree of cognitive impairment and the association with emotional lability. In this lecture I will review how to differentiate between simple mental clouding and cognitive decline. You will learn the main variables that affect memory, concentration and processing and how genetic analysis can improve your diagnostic accuracy and treatment. You will gain knowledge of the SNPs that affect sensitivity to numerous factors that predispose an individual to brain fog and mental deterioration. Finally, you will learn how to mitigate causative variables, maximize brain health and slow the aging of neural pathways. Case studies with illustrative genetics will be used to demonstrate how to differentiate between different types of cognitive dysfunction and its varying causes such that correct therapeutics may be employed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the major differentiating variables that distinguish brain fog and decreased focus from disease processes such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
2. Discover which genetic SNPs have a major impact on the initiation and progression of mental decline and how to interpret and treat them using natural supplementation, diet, and lifestyle variables.
3. Evaluate several case studies that show how genetics allow us to more accurately identify the root cause of the multiple variables that contribute to brain fog and neural decline and how to best treat them to protect and stimulate a healthy brain as we age.