A long list of symptoms has been attributed to persistent infection by the organism that causes acute Lyme disease. Some of these symptoms are:

• Fatigue

• Muscle and joint pain

• Cognitive difficulties (brain fog)

• Headaches

• Sleep disturbances

However, the medical community largely does not recognize chronic Lyme disease as a legitimate diagnosis because:

• Evidence for persistent infection is lacking

• There is no benefit from prolonged antibiotic treatment

• There is an association with other brain-generated neuroplastic symptoms

If medical evaluations do not identify any disease or injury, or if treatments fail to provide expected improvement, it is likely that the brain plays a role in generating or contributing to the pain or illness. This is called a neuroplastic symptom.