How COVID Might Sow Chaos in the Brain

SARS-CoV-2 appears to travel widely across the cerebral cortex

Headaches, hallucinations, vivid dreams, smell & taste anomalies, strokes and seizures

80% of COVID patients encountered neurological complications

“The widespread 🧠 neuro issues I’m witnessing can’t be overstated; a tipping point of previously healthy adults into early Parkinson’s/ GBS/ dementia/ ALS/ serious 👁️ issues/ strokes/ tremors/ vertigo / intractable anosmia & tinnitus etc

An unparalleled horror show & crime.”

"Widespread use of metal caused estimated 2- to 3-point drop in IQ for nearly 180 years of Pax Romana"

Meanwhile, #Covid in 5 years: "Participants with persistent symptoms had a 6-point loss in IQ, while those who had been admitted to an ICU experienced a 9-point loss in IQ."

“COVID-19 may Enduringly Impact cognitive performance and brain haemodynamics in undergraduate students”

“37 % of the undergraduates exhibited impaired cognition up to 17 months post-infection.”

Evidence that a COVID-19 infection can induce neurological sequelae.

The SARSCoV2 spike protein can persist in the brain—skull bone marrow and meninges—to induce neurologic damage

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein accumulates & persists in the body for years after infection, especially in the skull-meninges-brain axis, potentially driving long COVID. mRNA vaccines help but cannot stop it.

In mice, it caused inflammation, anxiety, and worsened brain injuries. Vaccines reduced but did not fully eliminate it.

“Cognitive deficits after COVID-19 associated with brain injury biomarkers and volume loss”

The study found that patients hospitalized with COVID-19, both with and without acute neurological complications, had worse cognitive scores than expected for their age, sex, and education level. These cognitive deficits were observed across all cognitive domains tested. The cognitive impairment was associated with increased levels of brain injury biomarkers in the blood and reduced volume of a specific brain region (the anterior cingulate cortex) on MRI scans. Factors like the severity of the initial COVID-19 illness and the presence of acute confusion (encephalopathy) were linked to the worst cognitive scores.

SARS-CoV-2 infects neurons using cathepsins, causing tau changes linked to Alzheimer’s and neuron death within days

This suggests neurodegenerative risks and potential for cathepsin inhibitors as treatment

“The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 presents a wide spectrum of neurological manifestations."

"Although there is an improvement in the survival rate of patients with COVID-19, the frequency of neurological manifestations increases."

"The occurrence of delirium, cerebrovascular diseases, and ischemic stroke results in higher mortality."

“Signs of brain inflammation were present up to 18 months after first contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

‘We show that the brainstem is a site of vulnerability to long-term effects of COVID-19, with persistent changes evident in the months after hospitalization,’ the authors of the study conclude.”

“If you’re not noticing the (obvious) cognitive impairment in practically everyone around you, it may be due to your own cognitive decline.

Or denial is rearing its ugly head once again.

Perhaps it’s easier for me considering my background, but honestly, it’s so bloody palpable.”

SARS-CoV-2 preferentially infects astrocytes, which support neuron function, potentially leading to symptoms like fatigue and confusion.

SARS-CoV-2 can also infect pericytes, leading to restricted blood flow and small-vessel strokes.