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Long Covid is versatile, but also manifests itself through so-called “brain fog”. In a new study, experts are examining the symptom in more detail.
Dublin – “Brain Fog” or “brain fog” refers to a long-term consequence of a corona infection. The patients’ consciousness is severely impaired and everyday tasks become an effort. Now researchers have discovered a reason for this.
More permeable blood vessels cause “brain fog”.
In the affected Long Covid patients, the viral infection caused a disruption in the blood supply system in the brain, according to the research group at Trinity College Dublin. The infection causes blood vessels to become more permeable, making it harder for the brain to be protected from pathogens, toxins and other substances in the blood. In collaboration with St. James Hospital Dublin, the scientists published theirs Study results in the magazine Nature Neuroscience.
“Brain fog” occurs after a corona infection due to a disrupted blood-brain barrier
Matthew Campbell, leader of the study, explained: “For the first time, we have shown that leaky blood vessels in the human brain, together with a hyperactive immune system, may be the main cause of brain fog associated with Long Covid.” – The team has been researching clouding of consciousness using blood samples from 76 affected people since the beginning of the corona pandemic in March 2020 – there they found increased levels of a protein that indicate a disturbed blood-brain barrier .
This “barrier” refers to the boundary between the blood and the central nervous system and is responsible for ensuring that only certain substances can pass through the brain and thus it remains protected from diseases. A study from Great Britain recently showed that numerous corona patients suffer brain damage.
Research group shows disturbed blood-brain barrier
This disorder was also made visible in the research process using imaging techniques. To do this, they used a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast agents. These are supplied and thus help better detection of diseases. The images show that in people with “brain fog,” more contrast medium gets into the brain tissue outside the blood capillaries.
Possible after corona infection – the symptoms of “brain fog”.
- Slowed information processing
- Word finding and language disorders
- Impaired short-term memory
- Decreased ability to concentrate
Source: German Society for ME/CFS
Groundbreaking findings will “transform the way we understand and treat post-viral neurological diseases.”
In a statement from Trinity College The researchers also explain: “The results are now likely to change the way we understand and treat post-viral neurological diseases.” In recent years it has been shown that in many neurological diseases – such as multiple sclerosis (MS) – a viral infection is probably the triggering factor for the disease. The study authors are currently examining in more detail what role the blood-brain barrier plays in this.
Long Covid: Still not sufficiently researched
How the RKI reports as of August 2023, there are still no reliable figures on the frequency of the chronic disease Long Covid. There is a lack of representative, controlled studies with sufficient follow-up time that enable a comparison of people with and without a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the cohort studies available so far, the occurrence of Long Covid is estimated at around six to 15 percent. (jh with dpa)