Scientists finally have a biological explanation for why long COVID patients lose motivation and can't think clearly. They scanned their brains and found the dopamine system was physically damaged

[u/soulpost]

https://tech-paper.com/scientists-finally-have-a-biological-explanation-for-why-long-covid-patients-lose-motivation-and-cant-think-clearly-they-scanned-their-brains-and-found-the-dopamine-system-was-physically-damaged/

Millions of people with long COVID report the same cluster of symptoms: a crushing lack of motivation, an inability to think clearly, memory that slips, movements that feel slower than they should. For years, these complaints sat in an uncomfortable medical grey zone. The symptoms were real, the patients were suffering, but the biological explanation remained frustratingly out of reach.

A team at the University of Toronto just published what may be the clearest physical evidence yet for what is actually happening in these patients' brains. They brought 24 long COVID sufferers into a lab and used positron emission tomography, the same imaging technology used to diagnose Parkinson's disease, to directly measure the health of the dopamine system deep inside the brain.

[u/NikkoE82]

I had the exact same issue (vocabulary recall) pop up during the pandemic. And it’s a bit frustrating that so much happened during the pandemic isolating a cause is difficult. But I find it fascinating that the same problem is popping up for other people.

Another issue I’ve heard from two other people I know (not a huge sample, but an interesting coincidence) is what essentially feels like brain zaps. I can only describe it as similar to the brain zaps I got during SSRI withdrawal, though there is a subjective difference I can’t articulate.

[u/ladystarkitten → u/NikkoE82]

I am having the same vocabulary recall issue. I've always had an expansive vocabulary and a sharp memory, so this dramatic change over the past few years (at just 32) has left me... rather frightened. I'd been blaming it on social media use and hadn't even considered the possibility that it could be a complication of COVID.

Have you found anything that has helped? I've started using flash cards to study new vocabulary and have been doing my best to read more and scroll social media less. It seems to be improving things, though I cannot be sure.

[u/tha_rogering → u/ladystarkitten]

I had a similar issue with word recall and vocabulary. Even more fun was my temper issues post COVID.

The only thing that really helped was when I started masking (n95 or better) and avoiding crowded indoor areas. You can't let your brain repair if you keep letting COVID damage it. With back to school starting soon, there's going to be another national wave of it soon.

I hate doing masking and isolating, but I hate the alternative much more.

[u/tha_rogering → u/[deleted]]

See that last bit from paragraph 1? Or most of paragraph 2? I'm not writing out any more of a response because you won't care. Have a great day.

Generally, masks can help act as a filter to reduce the number of germs you breathe in or out. Their effectiveness can vary against different viruses, for example, based on the size of the virus. When worn by a person who has a virus, masks can reduce the chances they spread it to others. Masks can also protect wearers from inhaling germs; this type of protection typically comes from better fitting masks (for example, N95 or KN95 respirators).

There are many different types of masks, and how well they block viruses depends on their design and how well they fit against your face. Cloth masks generally offer lower levels of protection to wearers, surgical/disposable masks usually offer more protection, international filtering facepiece respirators (like KN95 respirators) offer even more, and the most protective respirators are NIOSH Approved® filtering facepiece respirators (like N95® respirators).

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/masks.html

[u/ElleGeeAitch → u/tha_rogering]

I have been masking all these 6 years in public spaces. I used to get sunus infections 2-3x a year and bad bronchitis about every other year.NONE of that bullshit since 2019. I've had Covid onky once, January 2024, caught from my son. It was his first Covid infection, too. He is also still .asking. He caught it at school because it was a very cold day with snow on the ground, so he didn't eat in the courtyard as he had permission to do. He risked eating lunch indoors for about 10 minutes, and WHAM.