When the Brain Can’t Cope: Introducing Brain Fatigue Syndrome

When the Brain Can't Cope: Introducing Brain Fatigue Syndrome is a groundbreaking book pioneering the clinical condition of Brain Fatigue Syndrome, characterized by cognitive, emotional, and sensory impairment and profound exhaustion after mental activity that is not relieved by rest or sleep. It offers a thorough description, including its relationship to other pathologies and symptoms, method of study and recognition, and comprehensive management.

The book defines and describes brain fatigue, outlining how it can be assessed. Presenting a pathophysiological explanation at the cellular level, the authors also include research-based treatment strategies aimed at improving daily functioning and quality of life. To bring visibility to this often “invisible” condition, personal stories from individuals living with brain fatigue are incorporated, along with practical and real-life examples to raise awareness of the reality of this complex syndrome.

It is valuable reading for students of neuropsychology, medicine, nursing, and occupational therapy, as well as various healthcare professionals who work in the field of neurorehabilitation for acquired brain damage and those in primary care settings.

Birgitta Johansson is an associate professor and a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Gothenburg and is also educated as a neurobiologist. In the clinic, her work with patients with brain injuries, strokes, and other neurological disorders has revealed brain fatigue to be a central problem. Consequently, our understanding of brain fatigue has developed, and the research we perform today enables clinical experience to be integrated with neurobiology and neuropsychology.

Lars Rönnbäck is professor emeritus and a retired chief physician in neurology at the University of Gothenburg. He has focused extensively on glial cells, the support cells in the brain. His research has focused on developing a method to understand the signalling mechanisms between different types of brain cells, particularly between nerve cells and glial cells. As a result of this work, Lars Rönnbäck has formulated a hypothesis about the origin of brain fatigue, suggesting that glial deterioration, especially in the glutamate uptake capacity by astrocytes, plays a central role.