Applying the mind to any task can be challenging, especially with the sheer number of demands that our modern life can present. It is a known fact that the mind is always being shaped and reshaped by our life experience. Every new and unique demand in life, catalyzes structural change in the brain. The ability to learn something new, or form a new memory implies that the connections and function of the brain is always adjusting to meet our demands with more efficiency.

Concentration, mental clarity, memory retrieval, and even creativity, are some of the common features that are associated with cognitive performance. Either through the aging process, or from environmental or emotional stress, we can gradually lose the ability to apply the mind in a focused manner, and this loss can have major implications on home life, academic endeavors, professions, and overall life quality ratings. 

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The most common feature of cognitive impairment is a mixture of symptoms collectively referred to as “brain fog”. Brain fog is a cluster of symptoms that include such complaints as slow thinking, difficulty focusing, confusion, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, and/or haziness in thought processes. The prevalence of brain fog complaints in the post-Covid world has become especially pronounced, due to the neuroinflammatory response that the virus is known to provoke. Trauma, whether physical or emotional, is another factor that can also contribute to brain fog characteristics.

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The brain’s inability to perform well on cognitive tasks and demands, is frequently the outcome of specific dysregulations within, and between specific networks. These dysregulations are patterns of activity that the brain acquires over time, due to exposure to external or internal stresses. This brain activity can be measured by the unique electrical signals it emits. There are clinically valid brainwave patterns that are associated with the entire spectrum of cognitive performance features. One such marker of function is associated with the alpha brain wave (8-12Hz). The presence of alpha in the brain produces an idling and neutral activity of neuronal networks that are associated with relaxation, calmness, and even meditative states. It is known that particular features of alpha activity reflect the brain’s ability to efficiently process information and produce better memory consolidation and recall during cognitive tasks. Everything from ADHD, to migraines and seizures, have unique brain wave signatures that are measured by electrodes on the surface of the scalp.