A team of international researchers from the Swinburne University of Technology and La Trobe University in Australia and Luxembourg University in Luxembourg has uncovered the cause of the neurological conditions seen in patients with long-Covid, such as brain fog. The study published in Nature Communications proposed that in patients diagnosed with long-Covid symptoms, fragments of proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to the formation of amyloid clumps in the brain. These clumps were similar to the amyloid structure found in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Hence, to have a better understanding of the impact of these amyloid clumps, the team performed biochemical flow-cytometry assays to determine the mechanism of brain cell death triggered by the amyloids. 

Long-Covid is marked by neurological symptoms, such as memory loss, sensory confusion, severe headaches, and even stroke. The long-Covid symptoms can persist for months after the infection is over. “While there is evidence that the virus can enter the brain of infected people, the precise mechanisms causing these neurological symptoms are unknown,” stated Dr. Mirren Charnley, a postdoctoral researcher at Swinburne University.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/study-reveals-possible-cause-of-long-covid-brain-fog/92679192. )