Brain fog and depression

[Woody]

I was diagnosed 10 years ago and started using cpap 1/27/07 . At the age of 56 I thought
I might be developing Alzheimer's . I like to read science fiction and knew I had some duplicate
books but when the brain fog cleared I found just how many duplicate books I had. The most
outstanding case is this 5 book series well It turned out I had 5 sets of this 5 book series. So
now at 66 years of age my memory is better than it was at 56 !

[OkyDoky]

In the brain, some cells "come" and "go." Some of that is cool. Some of that is uncool.

So to me, there is little use in trying to figure out what got our brains to the point where they may be at the moment. The question, for me, is this: What can I do to make every organ in my body, including my brain, better--or at least, less likely to get worse faster? Breathing well and getting the best sleep possible is, um, a no-brainer, to my way of, uh, thinking.

-jeff

I was always taught that we have many more brain cells than we actually use.

[Chipper]

My understanding is that the word "irreversible" doesn't always apply to brain questions in quite the same way as for other organs, since the brain seems able to do a rewire job to appropriate other locations for what is "lost."

I think with memory the damage can be irreversible since once a brain cell dies there is no way to revive it or "retrieve the data" that was stored in it. Wrong?

[jnk...]

My understanding is that the word "irreversible" doesn't always apply to brain questions in quite the same way as for other organs, since the brain seems able to do a rewire job to appropriate other locations for what is "lost."

I think with memory the damage can be irreversible since once a brain cell dies there is no way to revive it or "retrieve the data" that was stored in it. Wrong?

I'm not sure anyone is expert enough on the brain to call any reasonable assumption about it "wrong" definitively. But, some information in the brain appears to be system-redundant, in a sense. In other words, there are many pathways to get to related information stored redundantly in several areas. Kinda like the way Google does server farms. So just because a cell or two bites the dust doesn't mean the information those cells were related to is forever lost.

But, yes, it is possible for some information in the brain to end up virtually less than retrievable. And that can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending. The bigger issue is often the fact that stored information can change over time in a way that can make it inaccurate.

But my understanding (and I ain't no pro nuthin') is that the 'one memory per cell' idea is not the current model for most things that we generally consider a "memory." The brain appears to be much more complicated than that, which is a good thing.

In the brain, some cells "come" and "go." Some of that is cool. Some of that is uncool.

So to me, there is little use in trying to figure out what got our brains to the point where they may be at the moment. The question, for me, is this: What can I do to make every organ in my body, including my brain, better--or at least, less likely to get worse faster? Breathing well and getting the best sleep possible is, um, a no-brainer, to my way of, uh, thinking.

-jeff

I was always taught that we have many more brain cells than we actually use.

I have come to question most everything I've ever been taught about the brain. These days ghost-in-the-machine theories continue to abound even in the mainstream research, I believe. But what do I know? As the saying goes, 'If I had half a brain I'd probably eat it.'

[kteague]

..The literature reads more like philosophical meanderings than hard science to me...

Didn't want to take up the space to quote your whole post, but as the old folks used to say, "Boy, that'll preach!" Love reading your perspectives.

[Guest]

Can someone tell me if they experienced the brain fog, confusion, depression thing prior to being treated for sleep apnea.

I was wondering if apnea causes irreversible brain health issues like cognitive decline or memory loss due to brain cell damage/death?

1. I agree with everything jnk has said. Did he mention the brain can repair and replace pathways?
2. brain fog, confusion, depression are common in undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea. The problem is we have gotten used to it so it becomes our "normal" w/o us even knowing it.
3. I believe that undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea also leads to alzheimers, memory loss, and general forgetfulness.

Life is much, much better now. I consider PAP to have saved my life and to have more than doubled the quality of my waking life.

+100
I'm thinking O2 is a lifesaver.

[OkyDoky]

Can someone tell me if they experienced the brain fog, confusion, depression thing prior to being treated for sleep apnea.

I was wondering if apnea causes irreversible brain health issues like cognitive decline or memory loss due to brain cell damage/death?

1. I agree with everything jnk has said. Did he mention the brain can repair and replace pathways?
2. brain fog, confusion, depression are common in undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea. The problem is we have gotten used to it so it becomes our "normal" w/o us even knowing it.
3. I believe that undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea also leads to alzheimers, memory loss, and general forgetfulness.

Life is much, much better now. I consider PAP to have saved my life and to have more than doubled the quality of my waking life.

+100

Agree!

I'm thinking O2 is a lifesaver.

You could even call it a requirement!