Canadian study finds long COVID damages dopamine releasing brain cells
Technology
A Canadian study has found that long COVID can damage brain cells that release dopamine, a brain chemical linked to motivation, movement, and memory problems.
This might explain why so many people with long COVID still feel tired or foggy-headed.
Long COVID findings suggest dopamine treatments
Using PET scans, researchers saw less dopamine activity in key brain areas of long COVID patients compared with healthy people.
Damage in different parts of the brain was linked to specific issues: less motivation, slower movement, and memory trouble.
Since about 5% of people worldwide are dealing with long COVID, these findings could help shape new treatments focused on boosting dopamine and easing symptoms.