New Research Into How Long-Covid Changes the Brain, With Clear Implications for ME/CFS

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

All of the below had a very familiar ring, as I'm sure it will for most, if not all, of us here.

What remains to be seen is how far this research reaches, and whether or not it will inform research on ME ....

"The disease may be best known for its ability to rob people of their breath,
but as the pandemic spread, patients began reporting a disconcerting
array of cognitive and psychiatric issues — memory lapses, fatigue and a
mental fuzziness that became known as brain fog. There were also
more acute problems, including paranoia, hallucinations, thoughts of
suicide and psychosis.​

This strange constellation of symptoms has led researchers to
suspect that the disease is mounting a direct attack on the brain.
Researchers want to figure out how — and what the assault’s
long-term effects may be."
​

Column One: How does COVID-19 change the brain? This scientist is finding out
https://news.yahoo.com/column-one-does-covid-19-120046575.html

 

[Shanti1]

Thanks for posting Yippiee!
A few points of interest using quotes from the article:

If this damage is caused by inflammation, it probably wreaks havoc in several ways. Scientists suspect it disrupts the flow of serotonin, a hormone that’s implicated in depression, and prompts the body to make kynurenine instead, even though it's toxic to neurons.

Thought this was interesting because it is the opposite of the IDO trap theory.

Inflammation also triggers coagulation, creating clots that can block blood flow to cells and kill them. And it activates the microglia, which may attempt to remove more neurons than they normally would....
Yet scientists have so far found little evidence that the virus penetrates any deeper than that. Instead, they’ve seen the type of damage caused by strokes, as well as the blood clots that may have precipitated them.

The repeated theme of inflammation, microglial activation, and hypercoagulation, in this case leading to microclots. It seems Long-COVID and ME/CFS both have issues with oxygen delivery/perfusion. I wish we had more autopsy brain info from pwME. This page summarizes some findings, it doesn't mention microclots, but maybe the weren't looked for: https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Autopsy_in_Myalgic_Encephalomyelitis.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Astute observations @Shanti1 .....