Beyond the Haze: Differentiating and Understanding BrainFog

Beyond the Haze: Differentiating and Understanding BrainFog - BTH

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00036060

Enrollment

1000

Registered

2025-01-31

Start date

2025-03-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-11-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Brainfog

Interventions

Group 1: Observation group: people with brainfog (ME/CFS, long/post-Covid, autoimmune diseases)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - Presence of brain fog or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) - Consent to participate and complete the online questionnaire

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Non-existence of brainfog or CFS - Language barriers that impair understanding of the questions or the consent form

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Frequency and intensity of symptoms: Record subjective perception of brainfog symptoms, including their severity and the areas of life affected (e.g. work, social activities, cognitive abilities). Influence on coping with everyday life: Analysis of brainfog-related limitations in everyday life, work and social contexts, based on self-reports. Comparison of symptom perception: Differences in subjective perception and severity of brain fog symptoms between participants with brain fog and ME/CFS. Validation of the Brain Fog Scale (BFS): Testing the psychometric properties of the German-language BFS, including its ability to map relevant dimensions of brain fog and distinguish them from other phenomena.	—

Measure

Time frame

Frequency and intensity of symptoms: Record subjective perception of brainfog symptoms, including their severity and the areas of life affected (e.g. work, social activities, cognitive abilities). Influence on coping with everyday life: Analysis of brainfog-related limitations in everyday life, work and social contexts, based on self-reports. Comparison of symptom perception: Differences in subjective perception and severity of brain fog symptoms between participants with brain fog and ME/CFS. Validation of the Brain Fog Scale (BFS): Testing the psychometric properties of the German-language BFS, including its ability to map relevant dimensions of brain fog and distinguish them from other phenomena.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Demographic differences: Examining the distribution and severity of brainfog symptoms in different demographic groups (e.g., age groups, gender). Relationship with medical conditions: Analyzing the extent to which medical factors such as Long COVID or autoimmune diseases influence brainfog symptoms. Psychological side effects: Exploring the relationship between brainfog symptoms and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression or stress. Reliability and validity of the BFS: Checking whether the BFS in its German translation provides comparable results to the Polish original and validly measures specific dimensions of brainfog.	—

Measure

Time frame

Demographic differences: Examining the distribution and severity of brainfog symptoms in different demographic groups (e.g., age groups, gender). Relationship with medical conditions: Analyzing the extent to which medical factors such as Long COVID or autoimmune diseases influence brainfog symptoms. Psychological side effects: Exploring the relationship between brainfog symptoms and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression or stress. Reliability and validity of the BFS: Checking whether the BFS in its German translation provides comparable results to the Polish original and validly measures specific dimensions of brainfog.

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactAnnalena Lehmann

Alfried Krupp Krankenhaus Essen Rüttenscheid

annalena.lehmann@krupp-krankenhaus.de0201/45441454

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026