Long COVID Brain Fog Linked to Dopamine Nerve Damage, Study Finds
A new study by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the University of Toronto has identified a biological explanation for the 'brain fog' experienced by many Long COVID patients: damage to dopamine-releasing nerve terminals. Using PET imaging, the study measured levels of VMAT2, a protein found on these nerve terminals, in 24 Long COVID patients and 24 healthy individuals. The findings revealed significantly lower VMAT2 levels in Long COVID patients across brain regions associated with motivation, movement, and memory (the striatum). Reductions ranged from 16% in the planning region (dorsal putamen) to 20% in the motivation and apathy region (ventral striatum). This research builds on a previous 2023 study by the same team that found elevated inflammation in these brain regions, suggesting a potential link where inflammation may damage dopamine nerves.
