People with migraine often report problems with memory loss, but the link remains unclear. Factors relating to both migraine and brain fog, such as pain, fatigue, and difficulty focusing, may help explain patterns of memory loss with migraine, although experts are still unsure.
Elizabeth Seng, PhD, a psychology and neurology professor at Yeshiva University in New York City, who will speak about cognitive issues during the 2025 Migraine World Summit, says people are more likely to report memory loss interictally (between migraine episodes), but it’s not clear why.
Memory Loss or Something Else?
“It is … common to misattribute attention issues to memory loss,” Begasse de Dhaem says. “If someone isn’t able to pay attention or concentrate during or around a migraine attack and then doesn’t recall the information they learned, it’s not that they forgot or experienced memory loss; it’s that they had difficulty paying attention.”
Cogniphobia
The links between migraine and cognitive impairment are complex. However, the relationship between migraine and memory loss may become clearer as scientists learn more about migraine and its underlying mechanisms.
