Does Fever Affect Memory?

Behavioral and cognitive alterations can occur during infectious disease, but the role of fever in these changes is unclear. This small, preliminary French study examined memory function during an infectious illness in 91 naval recruits: 29 with a flu-like syndrome and fever (temperature higher than 38° C), 32 with a similar flu-like syndrome without fever, and 30 healthy volunteers.

All subjects were given a French version of the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test to evaluate memory parameters. The two sick groups had significantly impaired memory performance compared with controls. Areas of impairment involved picture recognition, immediate recall of a newspaper article, and delayed recall of the article; all required mobilization of attenti…