Thyroid hormone regulates metabolism in every organ of the body, including the brain. When thyroid hormone is low, it can affect your memory span and ability to concentrate. For many people, brain fog is a fleeting symptom.
Among the various thyroid dysfunctions, both hypo and hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune thyroid diseases are associated with cognitive impairment. Hyperthyroid conditions are associated with a greater risk of dementia compared to euthyroidism.
Thyroid disorders are one of the major causes of cognitive impairment including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several studies in recent years have indicated an association between hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism and AD.
Psychiatric Signs and Symptoms
Many symptoms of psychological dysfunction have been described with hypothyroidism. Those symptoms most commonly related to thyroid deficiency include forgetfulness, fatigue, mental slowness, inattention, and emotional lability.
Thyroid hormones are crucial for brain development, and influence brain function throughout life. In adults, hypothyroidism causes lethargy, hyporeflexia, and poor motor coordination (1,2), is associated with bipolar affective disorders, depression, or loss of cognitive functions (3,4).
It has become common in medical practice that many patients taking thyroid hormone complain of “brain fog,” which often refers to perceived cognitive impairment, physical fatigue, or mood disturbances.
Hypothyroidism is common in adults and is frequently associated with cognitive issues, such as increased forgetfulness, mental slowing and “brain fog”.
Yes, thyroid disease can affect mood. Common thyroid disease symptoms that affect mood include anxiety or depression. In general, the more severe the thyroid disease, the more severe the mood changes.
Hyperthyroidism is frequently associated with: irritability, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, impairment in concentrating and memory, these symptoms can be episodic or may develop into mania, depression and delirium. In some cases motor inhibition and apathy are symptoms that accompany hyperthyroidism.
The brain is highly sensitive to levels of thyroid hormone. Insufficient thyroid hormone during development can result in mental retardation. In adults, clinical hypothyroidism is a cause of cognitive impairment which can be reversible upon the restoration of thyroid hormone levels [3].
Discussion Our large-scale case-control study found that among people aged 65 years or older, those with a history of hypothyroidism were associated with an 81% increased risk of having dementia and among those, there was a more than 3-fold increased dementia risk with thyroid conditions that required thyroid hormone ...
In fact, several studies have proposed that altered thyroid hormone levels can be a consequence of AD. One study explained that adenohypophysis deterioration due to degenerative changes in the AD brain could lead to a decrease in TRH and TSH production, resulting in low thyroid hormone levels (13).
Thyroid dysfunction is linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment. However, studies on the relationships between thyroid diseases and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have reported conflicting results.
Thyroid disease
Thyroid disease usually develops slowly, which is why symptoms might be mistaken for normal aging. But too little or too much thyroid hormone could cause dementia-like symptoms.
Xia et al. (5) showed a direct correlation between levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T3, and T4 and the severity of insomnia symptoms. Additionally, hyperthyroidism can cause or worsen other conditions such as anxiety or depression, which in turn can further impair sleep and insomnia (6).
Some studies have linked an underactive thyroid to poor quality sleep. View Source , longer sleep onset – or the time it takes to fall asleep – and shorter sleep duration during the night.
Yes, dizziness is a symptom of a thyroid problem. Thyroid diseases³ or thyroid abnormalities sometimes manifest as dizziness. A high heart rate, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness are all possible symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to impaired cognition and memory along with a sensation of tingling and numbness, an outcome of poor myelination. Elevated methylmalonic acid and serum homocysteine levels are markers of Vitamin B12 deficiency.
With thyroid fatigue, you may feel like you can't get through a day without a nap. You may sleep more than usual but still feel completely exhausted. You may not even have the energy to exercise. At times, you may fall asleep during the day or very quickly at night.
Characteristic symptoms may include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, hoarseness, constipation, and myalgias. Neurologic symptoms may include ataxia, depression, and mental status changes ranging from mild confusion to overt dementia.
Fatty foods – Fats are known to upset your body's ability to absorb thyroid replacement hormones. Fats can also prevent the thyroid's natural ability to produce hormones. Physicians recommend that you cut out all fried foods and limit your intake of fats from butter, mayonnaise and fatty meats.
Problems with the thyroid can be caused by: iodine deficiency. autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system attacks the thyroid, leading either to hyperthyroidism (caused by Graves' disease) or hypothyroidism (caused by Hashimoto's disease) inflammation (which may or may not cause pain), caused by a virus or ...