chemo brain

American

[kee-moh brayn] / ˈki moʊ ˌbreɪn /

noun

Medicine/Medical Informal.

a common side effect of some cancer treatments that is characterized by cognitive impairments, such as memory and recall difficulties, confusion, difficulty concentrating, or loss of mental alertness.

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chemo brain

Overall, the findings indicate that exercise may help preserve cognitive function and lessen some symptoms of chemo brain during treatment.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026

MIT researchers have now shown that a noninvasive treatment that stimulates gamma frequency brain waves may hold promise for treating chemo brain.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

She completed that with "chemo brain" but said the university was "amazing" at supporting her.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2022

It also is observational, so does not show exercise causes thinking to be unaffected by chemo, only that women who move also experience less chemo brain.

From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2021

Marjie Popkin thought she had chemo brain, that fuzzy-headed forgetful state she figured was a result of her treatment for ovarian cancer.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2010

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023