1st Edition

When the Brain Can’t Cope Introducing Brain Fatigue Syndrome

By Birgitta Johansson, Lars Rönnbäck Copyright 2026
114 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

114 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

114 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

When the Brain Can't Cope: Introducing Brain Fatigue Syndrome is a groundbreaking book pioneering the clinical condition of Brain Fatigue Syndrome, characterized by cognitive, emotional, and sensory impairment and profound exhaustion after mental activity that is not relieved by rest or sleep. It offers a thorough description, including its relationship to other pathologies and symptoms, method... Read more

Preface

About the Authors

Chapter 1 – What is fatigue?

Chapter 2 – Definition and common symptoms of Brain Fatigue Syndrome

Chapter 3 – Brain Fatigue Syndrome and pain

Chapter 4 – Assessment of Brain Fatigue Syndrome

Chapter 5 – Depression

Chapter 6 – Probable pathophysiology of Brain Fatigue Syndrome

Chapter 7 – Treatment and support

Chapter 8 – Work and studies

Chapter 9 – And then

Final words

Appendix – Mental Fatigue Scale

Biography

Birgitta Johansson is an associate professor and a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Gothenburg and is also educated as a neurobiologist. In the clinic, her work with patients with brain injuries, strokes, and other neurological disorders has revealed brain fatigue to be a central problem. Consequently, our understanding of brain fatigue has developed, and the research we perform today enables clinical experience to be integrated with neurobiology and neuropsychology.

Lars Rönnbäck is professor emeritus and a retired chief physician in neurology at the University of Gothenburg. He has focused extensively on glial cells, the support cells in the brain. His research has focused on developing a method to understand the signalling mechanisms between different types of brain cells, particularly between nerve cells and glial cells. As a result of this work, Lars Rönnbäck has formulated a hypothesis about the origin of brain fatigue, suggesting that glial deterioration, especially in the glutamate uptake capacity by astrocytes, plays a central role.