On Feb. 2, Graham McDougall, a nurse practitioner and professor at The University, spoke about chemo brain as part of the Rodgers Library Take a Journey in Science lecture series.

The event included a 10 minute talk on the topic of chemo brain, followed by a 10 minute question and answer section.

McDougall researches cognitive aging, and he conducted a study with a cancer survivor sub-group to learn about chemo brain. 

Chemo brain is an effect that roughly 30 percent of cancer survivors experience following chemotherapy treatment. It mostly consists of a “cloudy brain.”

“I am not a cancer survivor, but my mother is,” McDougall said on his experience with chemo brain. 

He repeatedly spoke of his desire for more research studies on this topic because it is pushed aside so often in the medical world, but he also hopes to make a difference in the field in the near future.

For more information, McDougall talks about chemo brain more in-depth in this article.