Most people have had brief lapses of memory — forgetting a train of thought, a driving route or maybe a word choice. 

In most cases, these episodes last only a few seconds and are nothing to worry about — but if they persist, it may warrant getting a doctor’s input.

For a clearer understanding of what defines this condition — often referred to as “brain fog” — Fox News Digital asked two medical doctors about recognizing the symptoms and when to seek medical attention.

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What is brain fog?

Brain fog represents a “set of symptoms persons can experience due to impairments in brain functions, such as thinking, memory, information processing, storage and retrieval, decision-making, paying attention and performing tasks, among others,” Irene M. Estores, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, told Fox News Digital.

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Symptoms of the condition

The markers and indicators of brain fog can range from feeling suddenly confused about a familiar task or just feeling out of sorts mentally.  

“A person may experience difficulty staying on task, inability to focus, forgetfulness or problems finding the right words,” said Estores.

The markers and indicators of brain fog can range from feeling suddenly confused about a familiar task or just feeling out of sorts mentally. (iStock)

“They may also struggle to follow simple instructions or remember new information.”

Other symptoms may include feeling confused and dazed, or being physically present but feeling mentally absent, according to Estores.

What can cause these symptoms?

Although each person is different, there are some common causes of brain fog, medical experts say.

Chronic sleep deprivation

Just a single night of poor shuteye can have negative cognitive effects, so a compounded lack of sleep can surely be a culprit of brain fog, Estores noted.  

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“Sleep is key to the consolidation of memory, specifically long-term memory,” she said. 

“It also affects working memory, attention and decision-making, by affecting the activity of neural circuits in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus and parietal lobes.”

Chronic stress and pain

People who experience chronic stressful events — such as pain, emotional and mental trauma, and social isolation — may notice cognitive effects, said Estores. 

Pain medications and co-existing conditions, such as sleep disorders and depression, can also trigger or worsen brain fog.

A compounded lack of sleep can be a culprit of brain fog, a doctor noted. “Sleep is key to the consolidation of memory, specifically long-term memory,” said Irene M. Estores, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. (iStock)

Illness

Underlying medical conditions — such as some degenerative diseases, like dementia and Parkinson’s — and metabolic conditions, like diabetes or hypertension, can cause brain fog, according to Estores.

Trauma or infection can also play a role.

What to do about brain fog

For those who are experiencing symptoms associated with brain fog, the first step is to practice good “brain health,” according to Glen R. Finney, MD, professor of neurology at the Geisinger College of Health Sciences in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Healthy cognitive habits include maintaining good sleep hygiene, getting adequate exercise, striving for a healthy diet, staying hydrated and limiting stress. 

If medical evaluation is suggested, imaging tests — like a brain CT or MR scan — can be used to diagnose any existing conditions. (iStock)

“If that isn’t enough to improve things, let your primary care provider know what you’re experiencing, and they can review your medications and examine you for signs of medical causes, like autoimmune conditions,” Finney told Fox News Digital. 

“Also, some people with persistent brain fog may benefit from cognitive rehabilitation with a speech language pathologist, occupational therapist or psychologist,” he added.

How is brain fog evaluated?

If medical evaluation is suggested, imaging tests — like a CT or MRI scan — as well as vascular studies (tests that check the blood flow in the veins and arteries) can be used to diagnose any existing conditions, Estores noted.

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Doctors may also recommend screening for co-existing diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, she added.

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While feelings of brain fog can be frustrating or sometimes scary, Finney noted that practicing good brain health and talking with your primary care provider can likely help put your mind at ease.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical advisor to the president, was diagnosed with West Nile virus earlier this month, according to a spokesperson for Fauci.

Fauci, 83 — who was the face of the U.S. response to the COVID pandemic in 2020 — is now recovering at home after being hospitalized for six days.

He is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesperson told Fox News.

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What to know about West Nile virus

As of Aug. 20, there were 216 West Nile virus cases in the U.S. across 33 states, per the CDC.

Among those, 142 cases were neuroinvasive (severe).

Since the West Nile virus first entered the U.S. in 1999, it has become the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In most cases, the West Nile virus — a flavivirus in the same family as yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and the Zika virus — is spread when Culex mosquitoes bite infected birds and then bite people and other animals, per the CDC’s website.

The virus is not transmitted through eating or handling infected animals or birds — nor is it spread through physical contact, coughing or sneezing.

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A vast majority — around 80% — of the people who contract the virus will not experience any symptoms, the CDC states on its website.

In most cases, the West Nile virus — a flavivirus in the same family as yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and the Zika virus — is spread when Culex mosquitoes bite infected birds and then bite people and other animals, per the CDC’s website. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, main, E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, top right, NIH-NIAID/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, bottom right.)

“It causes a rash and other symptoms, including swollen lymph nodes, which other viruses in its class do not exhibit,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, previously told Fox News Digital.

“It only affects the nervous system 1% of the time and is rarely fatal.”

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Around one in five people will develop febrile illness, which is marked by a fever along with body aches, headache, joint pain, diarrhea, rash and/or vomiting. 

These symptoms usually go away on their own, but some people may have lingering weakness and fatigue months after infection.

West Nile affects the nervous system 1% of the time and is rarely fatal.

In rare cases — about one in every 150 infected people — the virus can lead to serious conditions affecting the nervous system, such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord), the CDC states on its website.

Those who develop serious illness may experience headache, stiff neck, high fever, disorientation, vision loss, muscle weakness, convulsions, tremors, coma or paralysis, which occur when there is viral infection of the central nervous system.

Among people who have this invasive form of the illness, around 10% will die.

It affects the nervous system 1% of the time and is rarely fatal, statistics show.

Around one in five people will develop febrile illness, which is marked by a fever along with body aches, headache, joint pain, diarrhea, rash and/or vomiting. (iStock)

While anyone can potentially develop severe illness, the highest-risk groups include those over 60 years of age, people who have had organ transplants and those with diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney disease, immune disorders and other certain medical conditions.

“The virus’ effects can be quite serious in the elderly,” Siegel noted.

Diagnosis and treatment

Those who think they might have been infected with WNV should be assessed by a health care provider, the CDC states.

Diagnosis of the infection can be made based on evaluation of symptoms, recent exposure to mosquitoes and testing of blood or spinal fluid.

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Health care providers will typically recommend treating symptoms with over-the-counter pain medications and getting plenty of rest and fluids.

Those who experience severe illness may need to be hospitalized for supportive care.

Preventing the virus

There is currently no vaccine for West Nile virus.

“The virus can be contained through public health measures including more insect repellent with DEET, longer sleeves and less stagnant water in our backyards,” Siegel said.

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Trying to kill adult mosquitoes by spreading too much insecticide can be problematic, the doctor warned. 

“Animals, people with asthma and insects that would otherwise kill the mosquitoes are affected.”

When spending time outdoors, it is recommended that people apply insect repellent containing DEET or other EPA-approved ingredients. (iStock)

The most effective means of prevention is to protect against mosquito bites, the CDC confirmed.

The agency’s recommendations include using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, and taking steps to control exposure to mosquitoes — particularly at dawn and dusk.

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Eliminating any standing water outdoors can help prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Danielle Wallace contributed reporting.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture is studying pigs, cows and other animals at Iowa’s National Animal Disease Center in an attempt to stop the burgeoning bird flu outbreak.
• Scientists were surprised to suddenly discover infections in the udders and milk of dairy cows this year, as the influenza virus is typically considered a respiratory disease.
• Bird flu was first identified in 1959. Since then, it has been detected in a growing number of animals ranging from dogs and cats to sea lions and polar bears, and now dairy cows.

At first glance, it looks like an unassuming farm. Cows are scattered across fenced-in fields. A milking barn sits in the distance with a tractor parked alongside. But the people who work there are not farmers, and other buildings look more like what you’d find at a modern university than in a cow pasture.

Welcome to the National Animal Disease Center, a government research facility in Iowa where 43 scientists work with pigs, cows and other animals, pushing to solve the bird flu outbreak currently spreading through U.S. animals — and develop ways to stop it.

Particularly important is the testing of a cow vaccine designed to stop the continued spread of the virus — thereby, hopefully, reducing the risk that it will someday become a widespread disease in people.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture facility opened in 1961 in Ames, a college town about 45 minutes north of Des Moines. The center is located on a pastoral, 523-acre site a couple of miles east of Ames’ low-slung downtown.

It’s a quiet place with a rich history. Through the years, researchers there developed vaccines against various diseases that endanger pigs and cattle, including hog cholera and brucellosis. And work there during the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 — known at the time as “swine flu” — proved the virus was confined to the respiratory tract of pigs and that pork was safe to eat.

The center has the unusual resources and experience to do that kind of work, said Richard Webby, a prominent flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

“That’s not a capacity that many places in the U.S. have,” said Webby, who has been collaborating with the Ames facility on the cow vaccine work.

The campus has 93 buildings, including a high-containment laboratory building whose exterior is reminiscent of a modern megachurch but inside features a series of compartmentalized corridors and rooms, some containing infected animals. That’s where scientists work with more dangerous germs, including the H5N1 bird flu. There’s also a building with three floors of offices that houses animal disease researchers as well as a testing center that is a “for animals” version of the CDC labs in Atlanta that identify rare (and sometimes scary) new human infections.

About 660 people work at the campus — roughly a third of them assigned to the animal disease center, which has a $38 million annual budget. They were already busy with a wide range of projects but grew even busier this year after the H5N1 bird flu unexpectedly jumped into U.S. dairy cows.

“It’s just amazing how people just dig down and make it work,” said Mark Ackermann, the center’s director.

The virus was first identified in 1959 and grew into a widespread and highly lethal menace to migratory birds and domesticated poultry. Meanwhile, the virus evolved, and in the past few years has been detected in a growing number of animals ranging from dogs and cats to sea lions and polar bears.

Despite the spread in different animals, scientists were still surprised this year when infections were suddenly detected in cows — specifically, in the udders and milk of dairy cows. It’s not unusual for bacteria to cause udder infections, but a flu virus?

“Typically we think of influenza as being a respiratory disease,” said Kaitlyn Sarlo Davila, a researcher at the Ames facility.

Much of the research on the disease has been conducted at a USDA poultry research center in Athens, Georgia, but the appearance of the virus in cows pulled the Ames center into the mix.

Amy Baker, a researcher who has won awards for her research on flu in pigs, is now testing a vaccine for cows. Preliminary results are expected soon, she said.

USDA spokesperson Shilo Weir called the work promising but early in development. There is not yet an approved bird flu vaccine being used at U.S. poultry farms, and Weir said that while poultry vaccines are being pursued, any such strategy would be challenging and would not be guaranteed to eliminate the virus.

Baker and other researchers also have been working on studies in which they try to see how the virus spreads between cows. That work is going on in the high-containment building, where scientists and animal caretakers don specialized respirators and other protective equipment.

The research exposed four yearling heifers to a virus-carrying mist and then squirted the virus into the teats and udders of two lactating cows. The first four cows got infected but had few symptoms. The second two got sicker — suffering diminished appetite, a drop in milk production and producing thick, yellowish milk.

The conclusion that the virus mainly spread through exposure to milk containing high levels of the virus — which could then spread through shared milking equipment or other means — was consistent with what health investigators understood to be going on. But it was important to do the work because it has sometimes been difficult to get complete information from dairy farms, Webby said.

“At best we had some good hunches about how the virus was circulating, but we didn’t really know,” he added.

USDA scientists are doing additional work, checking the blood of calves that drank raw milk for signs of infection.

A study conducted by the Iowa center and several universities concluded that the virus was likely circulating for months before it was officially reported in Texas in March.

The study also noted a new and rare combination of genes in the bird flu virus that spilled over into the cows, and researchers are sorting out whether that enabled it to spread to cows, or among cows, said Tavis Anderson, who helped lead the work.

Either way, the researchers in Ames expect to be busy for years.

“Do they (cows) have their own unique influenzas? Can it go from a cow back into wild birds? Can it go from a cow into a human? Cow into a pig?” Anderson added. “Understanding those dynamics, I think, is the outstanding research question — or one of them.”