When the Brain Can’t Cope

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.

• Preface About the AuthorsChapter 1 – What is fatigue?Chapter 2 – Definition and common symptoms of Brain Fatigue SyndromeChapter 3 – Brain Fatigue Syndrome and painChapter 4 – Assessment of Brain Fatigue SyndromeChapter 5 – DepressionChapter 6 – Probable pathophysiology of Brain Fatigue SyndromeChapter 7 – Treatment and supportChapter 8 – Work and studiesChapter 9 – And thenFinal wordsAppendix – Mental Fatigue Scale