Can Lyme Disease Affect Your Memory

Does Lyme Impair Memory 6 Restorative Solutions To Help Get Your Brain Back On Track

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten the very reason you went there in the first place? Or, how about searching high and low for your missing glasses, only to discover theyve been on top of your head the whole time? Weve all experienced brief moments of forgetfulness once in a while, and mostly, they can be humorous. But if youre struggling with neurological manifestations of Lyme disease, memory issues may be a daily, discouraging occurrence and thats no laughing matter.

So why do memory issues and chronic Lyme disease go hand in hand? And more importantly, what does this mean for the health of your brain and its capacity to store and recall information over time? Lets take a closer look at the reasons why your memory may not be operating optimally, plus natural solutions to restore its function.

Lyme Disease Patients With Memory Problems

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by Borrellia Bugdorferi after tick bite. This disease mostly presents with a skin rash which looks like bulls eye and therefore known as bulls-eye skin rash or Erythema Migrans. The standard of care of Lyme disease is a few weeks of antibiotics. Most of the patients do well after antibiotics treatment. However 10-20% of patients go on to develop persistent symptoms such as memory problems, fatigue and pain several months after the antibiotics treatment. Such symptoms are collectively known as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. In this study we want to see if a device known as Transcranial Direct Current Stimulator is helpful in reducing these symptoms after Lyme disease treatment.

Fifteen subjects will be selected to take part in this study. All subjects must meet the following criteria:

Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Assessment

Regional Cerebral blood flow was assessed using the 133Xe-inhalation technique, with cortical counts obtained from 32 NaI scintillation detectors , with the Novo Diagnostic Systems Cerebrograph, Model 32c. This method has a resolution of 26 mm on the cortical surface. All procedures were performed in a dark, silent room, with the subjects’ eyes closed. All scan data were reviewed for evidence of movement, respiration, or other artifact, and no subjects were excluded on these grounds. Studies were completed between 1993 and 1996.

Raw detector counts combined with the input function were used to generate four flow measures at each detector site. The first of these measures, the Initial Slope Index ,, is an integrated flow measure that is influenced most by perfusion of gray matter. The second and third measures are based on well-established four-compartment modeling of flow volumes, which produce estimates of faster-clearing and slower-clearing compartments. These compartments are primarily affected by flow to gray matter or white matter , respectively., Because the k2 index is more susceptible to artifact when overall flow rates are low, a ratio of fast to slow clearing flows was also computed . This ratio is less susceptible to distortion under low flow conditions and can be used to confirm results obtained for either of the compartment indices .

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Visual Treatment Of Lyme Disease

Medical treatment for Lyme disease doesnt always address Lyme-related visual problems, and without treatment, vision may still be impaired long after medical treatment is completed.

Any inflammation in the body can negatively affect the functioning of the limbs and organs. This is especially true for the brain and the visual system, which are often affected by Lyme disease.

Thats where neuro-optometry can help.

Neuro-optometry evaluates how our eyes and brain function together. When Lyme disease affects that connection, a patients balance may be affected, causing their vision and depth perception to be affected as well.

A neuro-optometrist may utilize lenses, prisms and, in some situations, neuro-visual therapy. Neuro-visual therapy is a rehab program for those who have had a neurological incident that has affected their vision and its functioning/processing.

This is especially true in the case of children. Lyme disease can disrupt important developmental cycles, resulting in visual problems and the likelihood of developmental delays and learning difficulties.

If you or your child has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, contact Eye Vision Associates, to learn whether it has affected your vision.

Eye Vision Associates serves patients from Nesconset, Ronkonkoma, Lake Grove, and Centereach & Hauppauge, New York and surrounding communities.

Lyme Disease And Cognitive Impairments

IntroductionAttention SpanMemoryProcessingReading comprehension:Auditory comprehension:Sound localization:Visual spatial perception:Transposition of latrerality:Left-right orientation:Calculation ability:Fluency of speech:Stuttering:Slurred speech:Fluency of written language:Handwriting:ImageryCapacity for visual imagery:Intrusive images:Hypnagogic hallucinations:Vivid nightmares:Illusions:Hallucinations:Depersonalization:Derealization:Organizing and PlanningConcentration:“Brain fog”:Simultasking:Initiative:Abstract reasoning:Obsessive thoughts:Racing thoughts:

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The Stages Of Lyme Disease

With Lyme, people need to understand that there are two stages to the disease: Early- and Late-Disseminated Lyme Disease. Early-Disseminated disease occurs within days to weeks after the tick bite. Tick bite Lyme Disease treatment at this stage helps to prevent later problems. If not caught early, the infection may spread to many other parts of the body, affecting the central nervous system , the peripheral nervous system , the cardiovascular system, the liver, the eyes, and the muscles and joints.

During Late-Disseminated Lyme Disease, inflammation most commonly affects the joints and nervous system, and symptoms occur weeks, months or even years after a tick bite. This stage can also set in as little as two weeks after a bite. In some individuals, these symptoms may be the first symptoms of the disease. This makes it difficult to connect current depression or anxiety to a tick bite from months or years before. Moreover, if one had issues like depression, anxiety or learning difficulties before Lyme Disease, they may not make the connection to the Lyme when these issues worsen.

Is Your Loved Ones Memory Loss Due To Lyme Disease

Richard Horowitz, MD

Richard Horowitz, MD, medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, in Hyde Park, New York. He has treated more than 13,000 chronic Lyme disease patients over the last 31 years. He is a member of the US Department of Health and Human Services Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, cochair of the HHS Other Tick-Borne Diseases and Co-Infections Subcommittee and the author of How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme & Chronic Disease. The views expressed here are those of Dr. Richard Horowitz, and do not represent the views of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, the US Department of Health and Human Services or the United States.

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People who have been told that they have Alzheimers disease or another form of dementia owe it to themselves to ask their doctors one important questionCould it be Lyme disease?

Case in point: Singer Kris Kristofferson struggled for years with memory problems. His doctors suspected Alzheimers disease or brain damage from sports-related head injuries. Just last year, he got some surprising news: What he really had was Lyme disease, which often causes cognitive problems that can be misdiagnosed as Alzheimers disease.

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The Basics Of Lyme Disease And The Brain

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is caused when an individual is bitten by a deer tickalso known as a black-legged tickthat is infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi.

An estimated 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, according to the CDC, but experts suggest the number of people with the disease could be much higher.

On brain SPECT imaging scans, infections such as Lyme disease are associated with overall decreased blood flow in a scalloped pattern. Seeing this pattern on SPECT scans prompts a deeper investigation into the possible root causes. Seeing the abnormal brain activity in people with Lyme disease, its understandable that there can be issues related to emotional well-being, cognitive function, and behavior.

Recurring Lyme Disease Rash Caused By Reinfection Not Relapse

Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks like this one. A study finds that some people can be reinfected many times with the bacteria that cause the disease. Lauree Feldman/Getty Creative Imageshide caption

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In recent years, a disease spread by ticks has become more common across the country.

Lyme disease causes a skin rash, and in some cases, more serious symptoms. The rash usually goes away with antibiotics, but some people say they have other symptoms that persist for months or years.

Now a study published in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine suggests those with a recurring rash dont have one long illness. Instead, theyre getting new infections from fresh tick bites.

Researchers recently conducted an experiment in which they examined Lyme disease-causing bacteria in the blood of 17 patients suffering from a recurrence of the rash. Then they compared these bacteria to a sample taken from the same patients during an earlier flare-up of Lyme symptoms.

Science

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The Unfortunate Connection Between Lyme Disease And Mental Illness

Carol has been a patient of mine for over five years. We have walked through some of the most difficult times in her life as she dealt with her failing marriage and then divorce, a move, significant career changes, undiagnosed medical issues, and co-parenting teenagers.

Yet during our discussions, there was an undercurrent of, I dont feel right. Her feelings were understandable given her life circumstances. But when life settled down, her complaints of pain, stress, fogginess, anxiety, and depression intensified. One medical doctor after the other ran tests with no conclusive diagnosis so she was labeled psychosomatic.

But that didnt make sense given that fact that she was consistent in therapy, did what was asked, and had significant improvements in several areas of her life. Something else seemed to be wrong. Finally, she found a doctor who tested her for Lyme disease, and she was properly diagnosed.

What is Lyme Disease? Lyme disease is aninfectious diseasecaused by abacteriaand spread byticks resulting in a suppression of the immune system. It can develop into a chronic multisystemic illness affecting the nervous system causing neurologic and psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms can mimic paranoia, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar, panic attacks, depression, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Last medically reviewed on July 25, 2019

Seeking Help For Lyme Disease

When neuropsychiatric symptoms dont respond to standard treatments, it is always a good idea to dig deeper. Brain SPECT imaging, testing for infectious diseases, and other assessments that are part of an integrative medicine approach can be helpful in identifying the root causes of symptoms. If Lyme disease is discovered, seek help from a Lyme-literate physician for optimal treatments to aid in recovery.

Lyme disease and other infectious diseases, along with the mental health symptoms associated with them, cant wait. At Amen Clinics, were here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples.Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834or visit our contact page here.

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What Is Alzheimers Disease

Starting subtle at first, the most notable symptom of Alzheimerâs is memory loss. Alzheimerâs usually manifests in persons over the age of 65, so when it first begins to show, it can be associated with the normal factors of aging. Itâs only when these symptoms become noticeable that it becomes a problem.

As Alzheimerâs starts to worsen, patients have more trouble with abstract thought processes, planning, concentration and semantic memory . There is also disorientation, such as getting lost in familiar areas like your own neighborhood, difficulty performing everyday tasks like hygiene or making phone calls, struggles with language, excessive sleep, lack of motivation and unpredictable mood swings.

But Alzheimerâs doesnât stop there. Soon, not just short-term memory is impacted, but long-term memory, previously intact, starts to go as well. The ability to write and read fades. Urinary incontinence can also occur. Coordination is lost and falling becomes common as well as sundowning, a psychological condition associated with increased confusion, wandering and restlessness.

How Do You Treat Lyme & Tick

Access to proper tick bite treatment can often be hindered because there the medical community disagrees about how to identify those with Lyme Disease. Moreover, no perfect measures of identification exist. Lacking good measures for Lyme Disease, which has been readily accepted for decades, is compounded by lacking measures for the dozens of co-infections.

Diagnosis guidelines do not require positive blood work, yet many physicians erroneously use the CDC epidemiology study submission guidelines for diagnosis. Thus, patients are often forced to pay out of pocket for the best diagnostic tools available, which are through private lab companies.

Relying on incorrect guidelines means patients are told they must have 5 out of 10 bands to be diagnosed with Lyme. This creates a major barrier to quick and necessary tick bite treatment. Only clinical opinion after a physical exam is required to make a diagnosis of Lyme.

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Effective Solutions To Restore Your Memory

Unfortunately, the current CDC treatment guidelines for neurological Lyme are antibiotics that are often ineffective in later stages of the illness, but all hope is not lost. If youre experiencing Lyme-related memory problems, there are lifestyle habits and natural remedies like herbs that can help normalize disrupted communications in the brain and nervous system and enhance your memory. Heres how.

How Do Lyme & Tick

• A 37 year old man with a constant headache so intense any sound, light, or movement is intolerable.
• A 26 year old with Multiple Sclerosis but with no family history of the disease.
• A 12 year old girl with chronic muscle spasms so severe she requires a walker.
• A 51 year old woman unable to retrieve words when she speaks.
• A 10 year old boy with a sudden onset of an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• A 4 year old with intense rages that occur almost all day.
• A 27 year old man with crippling anxiety that over 30 physicians and mental health providers were unable to treat effectively

All these cases are people with Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease. It seems inconceivable that a little tick can cause such extremes and incapacitation. Yet these diseases and autoimmune disease, in general, are on the rise.

**Dr. Roseann is hosting a professional training on the Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric impact of Lyme, Tick-Borne, and PANS/PANDAS with BCIA on June 29th. Learn More.**

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Neuroinflammation In The Brain

A recent study probing the brains of Lyme patients with chronic symptoms showed the presence of high levels of a substance called inflammatory translocator protein , an inflammatory chemical released by two specific types of brain immune cells.

What does this mean for your memory? High levels of neuroinflammatory chemicals may decrease brain function, manifesting in such problems as brain fog and memory loss. Though the study was small-scale, it demonstrates a physiological basis for cognitive problems and validates the experience of countless people living with Lyme.

The Case Of A Retired Defence Intelligence Agency

The Washington Post also reported a case from an officer who has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

After surviving Leukaemia, the 81-year man was told that he had dementia. Sandra Boodman, the reporter, wrote that doctors were convinced that the retired agent was battling a fatal type of dementia that was rapidly progressive.

This led him to become delusional, moody, childish, and confused, something that he was not when he was a competent man.

This was a wrong diagnosis.

Later on, doctors discovered that he had Lyme meningoencephalitis when he started having challenges with walking, had tremors in his arms, and was also suffering from incontinence.

After a positive diagnosis for Lyme disease, he immediately started antibiotics for treatment and went on to make a full recovery.

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Lyme Disease Effects On The Brain

The first section of Lyme Brain discusses the fundamentals. What actually causes this condition? Research has shown that Lyme spirochetes can invade the brain and wreak all kinds of havoc. They damage nerve cells, trigger inflammation, release neurotoxins, and disrupt the balance of brain chemicals.

Ducharme lays all this out in plain language. She also explains how co-infections contribute to Lyme disease brain:

One of the reasons I believe that the actual brain fog, memory issues and difficulty with focus and concentration is Borrelia driven is because when I treat my patients with medications that primarily impact Borrelia and cross the blood-brain barrier, I see these symptoms improve, whereas the insomnia and wacky dreams tend to respond more to Babesia treatment. Really extreme psychiatric symptoms such as rages, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, respond mostly to Bartonella treatment.

The Cdc Reveals The Truth About Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick. Lyme and its numerous co-infections can mimic or cause virtually any medical, neurological, or psychiatric condition. It is called the great imitator and has been vastly underdiagnosed in the U.S. due to inadequate testing methods and general lack of acknowledgment by the medical community. A nasty relative of the STD syphilis, Lyme causes a multitude of medical, neurological, and psychiatric impairment issues, yet is much harder to cure.

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