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Symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with higher levels of "pregnancy brain," which is also known as "baby brain," "brain fog" or "momnesia," according to a new study by Penn State researchers. Pregnancy brain is not a medical diagnosis, but people have long known that pregnant women and new mothers can experience broken concentration, memory lapses and forgetfulness. The Penn State team wanted to understand whether physical activity could reduce brain fog, but they discovered unexpected ways that negative emotional states, physical activity and brain fog all interact.

In a study published in Psychology & Health, the researchers found that, on average, women who reported more physical activity did not experience less brain fog, but women who experienced more symptoms of anxiety or depression did experience more brain fog. Additionally, while exercise helped reduce brain fog among women with high levels of depressive symptoms, it may have increased brain fog among new mothers with high levels of anxiety symptoms.

"We expected physical activity would reduce forgetfulness and memory lapses, but the reality is more nuanced," said Victoria Suhy, a doctoral candidate in kinesiology at Penn State and first author of the study. "Exercise may indirectly decrease brain fog for women with depression symptoms, but it may exacerbate cognitive failures for women with symptoms of anxiety. There is a complex constellation of factors that drive this phenomenon.

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