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Biological research into long COVID mechanisms
Overview
Scientific research has identified potential biological mechanisms underlying long COVID symptoms. An initial study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada used PET imaging to find lower levels of the protein VMAT2 in the brains of long COVID patients. These reductions in dopamine-releasing neurons were linked to specific issues: ventral striatum reductions correlated with apathy, dorsal putamen reductions with slower movement, and dorsal caudate reductions with memory impairment.
Subsequent research expanded on these findings, noting that patients with the most severe symptoms exhibited the largest changes in these neurotransmitter pathways. Additionally, a UK-based study involving the PHOSP-COVID program linked the severity of the condition to shifts in oral and airway microbiomes, connecting bacterial changes in the mouth and lungs to respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cognitive symptoms such as ‘brain fog’.
Entities
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · eBioMedicine · University of Dundee · PHOSP-COVID · Jeffrey Meyer
Timeline
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[HEALTH] 5 sourcesResearch links dopamine changes and microbiome shifts to long COVID severity
New research identifies dopamine changes in the brain and alterations in the oral and airway microbiomes as potential biological drivers of long COVID symptoms like brain fog and fatigue.
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[HEALTH] 5 sourcesCAMH study links long COVID symptoms to dopamine neuron loss
A CAMH study using brain scans found lower dopamine-related markers in long COVID patients, potentially explaining symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, and movement issues.
Sources
fehmarn24.de · geekweek.interia.pl · insideprecisionmedicine.com · kreiszeitung.de · medicaldaily.com · merkur.de · nationalheraldindia.com · news18.com · sciencedaily.com · world-today-journal.com