The American Cancer Society describes "chemo brain" as the mental cloudiness cancer patients notice before, during, and after treatment.
Now, a new study uses EEG to monitor the changes in the brain activity of women while they were getting their chemotherapy treatment.
Researchers used an electroencephalogram, or EEG, to monitor the brain activity patterns of eight women receiving chemotherapy.
Results show mental and physical fatigue during chemotherapy corresponded to significant changes in EEG brain activity patterns.
Doctors on the study say EEG may one day become a better way to measure alterations in brain function associated with chemotherapy.
"If indeed a larger study would confirm that EEG measurements were more sensitive to and correlated to individuals who were experiencing more of these issues, then it would suggest that it might be a means we could use to formally study interventions," said Cleveland Clinic Oncologist Dr. Halle Moore.
Dr. moore presented her findings this week at the American Society of Oncology's annual meeting.
