COVID & the BRAIN… a thread 🧵
Persistence of spike protein at the skull-meninges-brain axis may contribute to the neurological sequelae of COVID-19
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
“Cognitive deficits after COVID-19 associated with brain injury biomarkers and volume loss”
Honestly it kinda pisses me off how some people act like we can't talk about the brain damage from Covid, especially on the population level.
“Honestly it kinda pisses me off how some people act like we can't talk about the brain damage from Covid, especially on the population level. Yes, it's important to consider the ableism. But I have brain damage from Covid, including to my emotions, and we need to talk about it...”
Cross-Section of Neurological Manifestations Among SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants—Single-Center Study
“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."
Part 2 of 2
Part 1 of 2
Why people can no longer drive.
We Just Got More Evidence That Long COVID Is a Brain Injury
“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.”
Signs of brain inflammation were present up to 18 months after first contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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"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.
A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome
“A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome”
A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome
From COVID to Cognition | Kentucky researchers find COVID-19 could lead to Alzheimer's
“From COVID to Cognition | Kentucky researchers find COVID-19 could lead to Alzheimer's”
From COVID to Cognition | Kentucky researchers find COVID-19 could lead to Alzheimer's
Limbic system damage following SARS-CoV2 infection | Brain Communications | Oxford Academic
Limbic system damage from Covid:
SARS-CoV-2 is a neurotropic virus that may cause long-term neurological symptoms by damaging the limbic system.
This research shows that COVID-19 can impair emotion recognition, memory, and olfactory abilities, with altered brain connectivity patterns.
The buddy from college I talk about every now and again.
“The buddy from college I talk about every now and again.
He’s prolly 50 or so. He posted this a few days ago. He has already had a rough go of it, he has a daughter he is devoted to, and who loves him immensely.
I am as sad as I am angry. “
SARS-CoV-2 Invasion and Pathological Links to Prion Disease
Nearly half of those infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience long-term neurological problems, including brain fog and memory issues.
An infection may accelerate or exacerbate prion diseases like Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, leading to rapid neurodegeneration.
Worse, most people don’t even notice it has happened to themselves.
“Worse, most people don’t even notice it has happened to themselves.
But I can tell you we who continue to mask and have many fewer COVID infections can see the growing cognitive damage in more and more people around us.
Memory problems, like recall and word finding delays. Weakness and fatigue and motor control impairment. Growing executive function and emotional regulation deficits.
More and more friends disables and forced out of work or school by Long COVID symptoms.
It’s scary to witness the broad societal decline, and dispiriting to see so many governments and Public Health agencies persist in minimizing the growing problem.”
Cognitive profile following COVID-19 infection: Clinical predictors leading to neuropsychological impairment
Covid itself causes cognitive impairment. From 2020, prior to Covid vaccination of any kind:
“In our cohort of COVID-19 patients neurologic manifestations were frequent, including cognitive impairment.”
COVID survivors may develop dementia
“COVID-19 survivors show signs of significant cognitive deficits which could become dementia even a year after having the virus.. The team [in India] found that more than 80% of people tested reported at least one of four symptoms – depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia – ranging from mild to severe.. At least 6.1% of the patients were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and 4% developed dementia. More than 60% of the patients experienced a loss of taste and smell during the active phase of the infection. This could alter the function of brain areas linked to cognitive ability and emotional well-being.."
COVID-19 survivors show signs of significant cognitive deficits which could become dementia even a year after having the virus1. They also have an increased risk of depression, anxiety and disrupted sleep.
How long COVID could lift the fog on neurocognitive disorders
‘I’m a shell of myself. My physical issues aren’t half as bad as my brain problems. You can say brain fog, but that doesn’t come close to doing it justice.’”
Quantitative susceptibility mapping at 7 T in COVID-19: brainstem effects and outcome associations | Brain | Oxford Academic
“In COVID-19 survivors, the MR susceptibility increased in the medulla, pons and midbrain regions of the brainstem. Specifically, there was increased susceptibility in the inferior medullary reticular formation and the raphe pallidus and obscurus. In these regions, patients with higher tissue susceptibility had worse acute disease severity, higher acute inflammatory markers, and significantly worse functional recovery.”
In COVID-19 survivors, the MR susceptibility increased in the medulla, pons and midbrain regions of the brainstem. Specifically, there was increased susceptibility in the inferior medullary reticular formation and the raphe pallidus and obscurus. In these regions, patients with higher tissue susceptibility had worse acute disease severity, higher acute inflammatory markers, and significantly worse functional recovery.
Driving Under the Cognitive Influence of COVID-19: Exploring the Impact of Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Road Safety | Neurology
"The study suggests that acute COVID-19, regardless of Long COVID status, is linked to an increased risk of car crashes presumably due to neurologic changes caused by SARS-CoV-2."
A 43% increase since 2019.
A 43% increase cognitive disabilities since 2019.
“This is tragic and horrifying. And it’s going to get progressively worse as we’re all systematically reinfected.”
MRI scans reveal the damage long Covid does to your brain
“MRI scans reveal the damage long Covid does to your brain
Researchers suggested lasting Covid symptoms might be an indirect effect of brainstem inflammatory injury”
Whoopi Goldberg Commiserates With Fellow-Covid Sufferer Joe Biden: “Sometimes I Go For A Word And It’s Not There”
Whoopi Goldberg, who just had her 4th COVID infection, joked about her post infection brain damage on TV.
“I’m just getting over COVID – again – and I can barely remember anybody’s name. There are times when I go for a word and it’s not there.”
Emerging signs of Alzheimer‐like tau hyperphosphorylation and neuroinflammation in the brain post recovery from COVID‐19
Emerging signs of Alzheimer’s-like pathology in brains if people recovered from COVID-19, even though no direct SARS-CoV-2 invasion was detected
Study shows that COVID-19 causes cognitive decline among those without long COVID symptoms
“A new study in eClinicalMedicine has found that healthy volunteers infected with SARS-CoV-2 had measurably worse cognitive function for up to a year after infection when compared to uninfected controls. Significantly, infected controls did not report any symptoms related to these cognitive deficits, indicating that they were unaware of them.”
A new study in eClinicalMedicine has found that healthy volunteers infected with SARS-CoV-2 had measurably worse cognitive function for up to a year after infection when compared to uninfected controls. Significantly, infected controls did not report any symptoms related to these cognitive deficits, indicating that they were unaware of them. The net effect is that potentially billions of people worldwide with a his
Long COVID is not the same for everyone: a hierarchical cluster analysis of Long COVID symptoms 9 and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 test - BMC Infectious Diseases
“Our results suggest that Long COVID is not the same for everyone.”
Our results suggest that Long COVID is not the same for everyone.
Cognitive and psychiatric symptom trajectories 2–3 years after hospital admission for COVID-19: a longitudinal, prospective cohort study in the UK
“Participants had worse cognitive scores than would be expected on the basis of their sociodemographic characteristics across all cognitive domains tested (average score 0·71 SD below the mean [IQR 0·16–1·04]; p<0·0001). Most participants reported at least mild depression (263 [74·5%] of 353), anxiety (189 [53·5%] of 353), fatigue (220 [62·3%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (184 [52·1%] of 353), and more than a fifth reported severe depression (79 [22·4%] of 353), fatigue (87 [24·6%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (88 [24·9%] of 353). Depression, anxiety, and fatigue were worse at 2–3 years than at 6 months or 12 months, with evidence of both worsening of existing symptoms and emergence of new symptoms. Symptoms at 2–3 years were not predicted by the severity of acute COVID-19 illness, but were strongly predicted by the degree of recovery at 6 months”
Participants had worse cognitive scores than would be expected on the basis of their sociodemographic characteristics across all cognitive domains tested (average score 0·71 SD below the mean [IQR 0·16–1·04]; p<0·0001). Most participants reported at least mild depression (263 [74·5%] of 353), anxiety (189 [53·5%] of 353), fatigue (220 [62·3%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (184 [52·1%] of 353), and more than a fifth reported severe depression (79 [22·4%] of 353), fatigue (87 [24·6%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (88 [24·9%] of 353). Depression, anxiety, and fatigue were worse at 2–3 years than at 6 months or 12 months, with evidence of both worsening of existing symptoms and emergence of new symptoms. Symptoms at 2–3 years were not predicted by the severity of acute COVID-19 illness, but were strongly predicted by the degree of recovery at 6 months
Research Shows Severe COVID-19 Contributes to Long-Lasting Cognitive Impairment - InventUM
“We found persistent subjective and objective cognitive issues even two years after infection, including brain fog, word-finding problems, working memory deficits and reduced processing speed.” “Most Patients Have Never Fully Recovered”
“We found persistent subjective and objective cognitive issues even two years after infection, including brain fog, word-finding problems, working memory deficits and reduced processing speed.”
“Most Patients Have Never Fully Recovered”
Long COVID patients have similar brain activity to those with dementia, UK researchers find
“Some patients with COVID see similar brain changes to people with such neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer’s, according to University of Kentucky researchers.”
Does Covid Lead to Dementia? Here's What the Virus May Have Done to Y…
Non paywall version of catalogued Bloomberg article
Scientists are worried that persisting cognitive issues may signal a coming surge of dementia and other mental conditions
SARS-CoV-2 evolves faster in the brain, shedding light on long COVID
“A new study published in Nature Microbiology has revealed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, evolves more rapidly in the brain than in the lungs, possibly explaining some of the neurological symptoms associated with the disease.”