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6d ago

Study Identifies Key Brain Biomarkers Linked to Long COVID Cognitive Symptoms

New research highlights reduced nerve growth factor and elevated inflammation in long COVID patients, offering insights into brain fog and quality of life challenges.

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According to the study authors, the struggle physicians have with evaluating long COVID patients is that when asked to complete various written diagnostic tests, they tend to look normal. Credit: Neuroscience News
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Overview

  • A pilot study published in PLOS One is the first to compare long COVID patients with fully recovered individuals, identifying distinct cognitive and biological differences.
  • Long COVID patients showed significantly lower levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein critical for brain plasticity and neuron health.
  • Elevated levels of interleukin-10, an inflammatory marker, were observed in long COVID patients, suggesting persistent brain inflammation.
  • Participants with long COVID exhibited lower performance in language fluency tests and reported decreased quality of life across physical, emotional, and psychological measures.
  • Researchers advocate for larger-scale studies and recommend multidisciplinary care strategies, including speech therapy, stress reduction, and targeted medications, to address long COVID symptoms.