HealthScienceAlertBrain Scans of 24 People With Long COVID Reveal Signs of Injury to Dopamine Neurons
A small Canadian study found long COVID patients show signs of damage to dopamine-producing brain cells, which researchers say may explain fatigue, memory loss and low motivation.
Scientists have discovered a distinct change in the brains of people with long COVID that might explain some of the illness's most debilitating symptoms.
A preliminary Canadian study of 24 long COVID patients found distinct changes in brain regions linked to dopamine compared to healthy people of the same age.
The study found the worse the symptoms of memory decline, slow movement and lack of motivation, the greater the differences measured in dopamine nerve endings.
Psychiatrist Jeffrey Meyer said the findings suggest long COVID is, at least in part, a disorder of the brain's dopamine system, which could open new treatment directions.
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