Tick Boot Camp Podcast
Dr. Meagan Bonnot was featured on the Tick Boot Camp Podcast:
- (coming soon)
Understanding Brain Fog, Cognitive Dysfunction, and the Future of Lyme Disease Research
For many people living with Lyme disease, one of the most debilitating symptoms isn’t joint pain—it’s the loss of mental clarity. Brain fog, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, slowed thinking, word-finding challenges, and reduced executive functioning can dramatically impact careers, relationships, and everyday life.
Dr. Jacqueline Becker has dedicated her career to understanding why these symptoms occur and how clinicians can better evaluate, measure, and treat cognitive dysfunction associated with Lyme disease and other infection-associated chronic illnesses.
As a featured guest on the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, Dr. Becker shared how her work combines neuroscience, neuropsychology, clinical care, and cutting-edge research to improve outcomes for patients experiencing persistent cognitive symptoms after infection. Rather than viewing brain fog as a vague complaint, she approaches it as a measurable neurological condition that deserves rigorous scientific investigation and compassionate patient care.
About Dr. Jacqueline Becker
Dr. Jacqueline Becker is a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher, educator, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Her work focuses on understanding how infections affect the brain and cognition, with particular emphasis on:
- Lyme disease
- Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS)
- Long COVID
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
- Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses (IACI)
Unlike researchers who work exclusively in laboratories, Dr. Becker bridges multiple disciplines.
She evaluates patients experiencing cognitive impairment, leads clinical research studies, mentors future physicians and neuropsychologists, teaches medical residents about infections affecting the brain, and even participates in awake brain surgeries that help preserve language and cognitive function during neurosurgical procedures.
This unique combination allows her to translate what she learns from patients directly into research while bringing the newest scientific discoveries back into clinical practice.
Clinical Neuropsychology: Measuring What Patients Experience
One of Dr. Becker’s primary specialties is neuropsychological assessment—the science of measuring how the brain functions in everyday life.
Many people living with chronic Lyme disease describe symptoms such as:
- Brain fog
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty multitasking
- Problems finding words
- Trouble processing information
- Reduced concentration
- Mental fatigue
- Executive dysfunction
Dr. Becker uses comprehensive cognitive evaluations to objectively assess these symptoms while identifying both cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
These evaluations help determine whether symptoms are consistent with infection-associated cognitive dysfunction, whether additional neurological evaluation may be needed, and what interventions may help patients function more effectively in daily life.
Rather than focusing only on deficits, her evaluations identify preserved abilities that can be leveraged to develop personalized strategies for work, school, and everyday living.
Advancing Infection-Associated Chronic Illness Research
Dr. Becker is one of a growing number of researchers helping redefine how persistent illnesses following infection are studied.
Instead of examining Lyme disease alone, she collaborates with experts studying Long COVID, ME/CFS, multiple sclerosis, and related conditions under the broader framework of Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses (IACI).
This collaborative approach recognizes that many post-infectious illnesses share remarkably similar neurological symptoms, including:
- Brain fog
- Fatigue
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Sleep disturbances
- Autonomic dysfunction
- Post-exertional symptom worsening
Studying these conditions together allows researchers to identify common biological mechanisms that may ultimately lead to better diagnostics and more effective treatments across multiple diseases.
Improving the Science Behind Lyme Disease Research
One of Dr. Becker’s most important contributions is helping improve how Lyme disease and other infection-associated illnesses are studied.
She was a co-author of the influential review, Designing Studies for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease and Other Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses, which brought together leading researchers from multiple disciplines to examine why progress has been slow and how future studies can produce more meaningful results.
The review emphasizes that patients are extraordinarily diverse.
Two people diagnosed with Lyme disease may have completely different symptom profiles, making it difficult for traditional clinical trials to detect whether treatments are truly effective.
Rather than grouping every patient into a single category, Dr. Becker advocates for more precise patient phenotyping, better cognitive measurements, improved biomarkers, and smarter study design so researchers can identify which treatments work for which patients.
This patient-centered approach has the potential to accelerate the development of future therapies while producing more reliable scientific evidence.
Brain Fog Is Real—and It Can Be Measured
One of the recurring themes throughout Dr. Becker’s work is validation.
For years, many patients were told that brain fog was subjective or impossible to quantify.
Modern neuropsychology tells a different story.
Through standardized testing, researchers can objectively measure changes in:
- Attention
- Processing speed
- Memory
- Executive functioning
- Language
- Cognitive flexibility
- Problem solving
These assessments provide valuable information that can guide treatment recommendations, establish cognitive baselines, document disability when appropriate, and identify patients who may benefit from specialized cognitive rehabilitation.
Cognitive Rehabilitation vs. Brain Retraining
Dr. Becker also helps patients understand an important distinction that is often misunderstood within the chronic illness community.
She differentiates evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation from commercial “brain retraining” programs.
Cognitive rehabilitation is grounded in decades of neuroscience research and uses structured exercises and compensatory strategies to strengthen cognitive function after neurological injury or illness.
It is based on the well-established principle of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize and strengthen neural networks through targeted practice.
While some individuals report benefit from various brain retraining programs, Dr. Becker emphasizes that these approaches currently lack the same level of rigorous scientific evidence supporting traditional cognitive rehabilitation.
Her perspective reflects both scientific integrity and compassion: respecting patients’ lived experiences while encouraging evidence-based decision making.
Looking Beyond a Single Diagnosis
Another hallmark of Dr. Becker’s clinical approach is comprehensive evaluation.
Patients referred for cognitive assessment may ultimately benefit from additional neurological testing, sleep evaluations, imaging studies, laboratory testing, or specialty referrals depending on their presentation.
Her goal is not simply to document cognitive symptoms but to help determine whether additional medical conditions—including neurodegenerative disorders or other neurological diseases—should be investigated.
This thoughtful diagnostic process ensures patients receive the most appropriate evaluation while avoiding assumptions that every cognitive complaint has the same underlying cause.
Educating Future Physicians
Dr. Becker is helping change the future of medicine by teaching medical residents how infections—including viruses and bacteria—can affect the brain.
Historically, medical education devoted relatively little attention to infection-associated neurological dysfunction outside of acute infections.
Today, largely because of research involving Lyme disease, Long COVID, and related illnesses, awareness continues to grow.
By educating future physicians, Dr. Becker hopes more clinicians will recognize cognitive symptoms earlier, understand their biological basis, and provide compassionate, evidence-based care.
Work with Dr. Jacqueline Becker
Dr. Jacqueline Becker sees patients through the Mount Sinai Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness, where she specializes in evaluating and treating cognitive dysfunction associated with Long COVID and other infection-associated chronic illnesses. Patients experiencing persistent brain fog, memory problems, attention difficulties, slowed thinking, or other cognitive symptoms may benefit from a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and individualized cognitive rehabilitation program.
Learn more about Dr. Becker’s clinical practice or request an appointment
Why Dr. Becker Matters to the Lyme Community
Patients living with Lyme disease have long described persistent cognitive symptoms despite often having normal routine testing.
Dr. Becker’s work validates these experiences while helping move the field toward objective measurement, better diagnostics, and improved treatment strategies.
Her research reinforces several important messages:
- Brain fog is a genuine neurological symptom.
- Cognitive dysfunction can be objectively evaluated.
- Mental health and biological illness are not mutually exclusive.
- Better research design will lead to better treatments.
- Patients deserve rigorous science without sacrificing compassion.
Her work also highlights the importance of collaboration across Lyme disease, Long COVID, ME/CFS, and other infection-associated chronic illnesses. By studying these conditions together, researchers can better understand shared biological mechanisms and accelerate discoveries that benefit patients across multiple communities.
Listen to Dr. Jacqueline Becker on Tick Boot Camp
In her Tick Boot Camp Podcast interview, Dr. Becker discusses:
- Why Lyme disease affects the brain
- What neuropsychologists actually do
- The science behind brain fog and cognitive dysfunction
- How comprehensive cognitive testing works
- The similarities between Lyme disease, Long COVID, and ME/CFS
- Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses (IACI)
- Cognitive rehabilitation and neuroplasticity
- Improving Lyme disease research and clinical trial design
- The future of diagnosing and treating persistent cognitive symptoms
- Why validating patients’ experiences is essential to advancing science and care
Whether you’re living with Lyme disease, caring for someone with persistent cognitive symptoms, or interested in the latest research on brain health, Dr. Becker’s conversation provides valuable insights into one of the most important—and often misunderstood—aspects of chronic tick-borne illness.
