Clarifying 'Brain Fog': Definitions and Mechanisms to Guide Development of Nutrition Interventions
Virtual, Event
June 15, 2026
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the term ‘brain fog’ has been increasingly used across the medical, research, and consumer spheres to refer to sequalae related to neurological, psychiatric, and hormonal conditions. Nutrition is also referenced as a potential mitigating factor.
However there remains debate around how brain fog is defined and what it captures. Although the impact of brain fog on cognition is typically of low severity, the impact on daily functioning, work capacity, and quality of life can be devastating, considering it can affect individuals of workforce age.
Additionally, patients with brain fog symptoms can burden the medical system through increased healthcare utilization. It can be triggered or exacerbated by a myriad of physical, lifestyle, and behavioral issues, including poor diet. Moving toward consensus on these questions would support harmonized research approaches, product development, and clinical and dietary guidance.
This interdisciplinary expert group has been organized with the goal to develop a consensus statement on the value of brain fog as a distinct construct that is sensitive to nutrition intervention.
Expert Discussants:
Jacqueline Becker, PhD, Mount Sinai
Lina Begdache, PhD, Binghamton University
Ronessa Dass, PhD, McMaster University
Timothy Elliott, PhD, Texas A&M University (Emeritus)
Kristine Lokken, PhD, University of Alabama Birmingham
Ashley Murphy, MS MA, Northwestern University
Naidoo Umadevi, MD, Harvard University
This was an invitation-only event. For more information contact Marie Latulippe at mlatulippe@iafns.org.
This webinar was supported by IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee.